‘We feel very low’ - Burnley boss Eddie Howe

EDDIE Howe lamented Burnley’s inability to deal with the pace threat of matchwinner Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha, who scored both goals in the win at Wolves on Tuesday night, scored twice again as the England Under 21 star ran the Clarets ragged.

He netted either side of half-time as Palace overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 4-3, and Howe said: “It’s hugely disappointing to not win the game.

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“When you score the amount of goals that we are at the moment and you’re not getting the points to reflect that it’s hugely frustrating.

“We feel very low.

“At 2-0 up we were well in control. The first goal we conceded was a frustrating one because they hit us on the counter attack.

“The manner of the second we conceded, to get broke on three versus two, it’s really suicidal defending away from home.

“You can’t commit that many bodies forward.

“We set up not to do that with the pace they have in their side.

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“They are a threat with Zaha – he has real quality – but we didn’t deal with that problem well enough.”

Howe made three changes, bringing in Jason Shackell, Chris McCann and Marvin Bartley for Michael Duff, Brian Stock and Ross Wallace, and he explained: “We changed the system to be tighter, played three in midfield and defended a little bit deeper.

“In the first half we defended really well and the gameplan was working perfectly. But at the moment we are making individual errors. It’s costing us, and we are making too many of them.

“When you’re the away side playing against pace like they’ve got we can’t get exposed like that, so it’s disappointing.”

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This time last year, inexperience was a factor, but Howe added: “Last year I said that regularly but this year, no – we’ve got enough games now in our team.

“You go through our team and experience is not an excuse.

“We’ve got lads who have been there and done it at the level. We just have to be better.

“You look at our goals against record and you think we’re getting battered every week. You think we’re conceding chances and shots and looking ragged.

“But some of out general play was very good.

“We passed the ball well at times, we created chances. But it all means nothing when we concede like we are doing.”

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Burnley replaced Blackpool as top-scorers in the Championship, but it was of little consolation, having also conceded more than any of the 92 league clubs bar AFC Wimbledon: “It doesn’t mean anything at the moment. All that matters is your points tally and our points tally isn’t good enough.”

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