Millwall boss Alex Neil makes gulf in quality admission following Burnley cup humbling

Despite going well in the Championship, sitting in fifth, the Lions were well beaten on their trip to Turf Moor, coming out on the wrong side of a 5-1 thrashing.

While Neil opted to make six changes to his side, Scott Parker also decided to ring the changes, making eight. But it was the Clarets who cruised into the fourth round thanks to some clinical finishing.

“It's always disappointing when you lose a game, especially in the manner in which we did,” Neil said afterwards.

“The first half was frustrating because I thought there were bits where we actually had some good play and we got into good territory and we got into good areas.

“I think the biggest difference you could see was how clinical Burnley were in the final third versus how clinical we were in the final third, certainly in the first half.

“When you get into those areas, you need to damage these teams enough that it stops them going forward, if you like, and you gain a bit of respect.

The Burnley Express has launched a new WhatsApp channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our Burnley Express WhatsApp channel.

“They're not just going to continue to fling bodies forward. But, unfortunately for us, I think the frustrating thing from our point of view is certainly a couple of the goals is us getting the ball away under no real pressure or stress and the ball then ends up in the back of your net.”

Asked if there was a big gulf between the two sides, Neil added: “Yes, but I don't think that would be any surprise to anybody.

“What we need to pay reference to is whether the gulf…when Burnley go into the Premier League, you see how hard that is for them. What are they, eight points adrift?

“But as you can see today, they're a really good side. We played them here last year, they're a really good side.

“There's just levels to the game, that really is as simple as it is and I thought in the first half in particular.

“I didn't think there was massive amounts in the game. I actually thought we'd get into the final third quite a lot. We had some good transitional moments, but the clinical edge is the difference.

“Every time they got into that final third area, it felt like they were going to score or they did score and that's always a problem. I don't know if that's going to be the case [for us].”

Your next Burnley FC read: Scott Parker's verdict on Burnley's cup thrashing of Millwall to end winless run