SEAN Dyche was ‘stunned’ after Burnley were denied a clear penalty in their 3-1 defeat at Southampton.

Although the Clarets were second best at St Mary’s they should have had a spot kick with the game still goalless in the first half when Johann Berg Gudmundsson was tripped by Virgil van Dijk.

Dyche admitted the Saints were the better side, but was livid that his side had been denied a penalty, and also questioned Mike Dean’s penalty calls in the second half, when he gave one for each side.

"On the day I thought they were too strong overall, after they had a really good first 12/15 minutes, I thought we got to grips with it a little bit then and slowed them down,” he said.

"We had a couple of maybes ourselves, and then the big defining point is the penalty.

"It's impossible it's not a penalty, simple as that.

"We struggled two years ago to get decisions, and we're struggling so far this season.

"The first game of the season against Swansea, impossible it's not given, and we all know what happened against Arsenal, then today.

"I must make it clear, that doesn't take away from them being a good side and them giving a really good performance, and being too good for us on the day.

"But that doesn't half make a difference, if you can get a foothold in the game away from home, presupposing we score it, you're 1-0 up and the whole feeling changes.

"The stadium changes, the feeling in their team changes, our team grow from that, still searching for your first big performance and win away from home.

"So that is a frustration. And I've seen their pen, and...wow...I don't know where it lives any more, penalties like that in this game. I'm stunned.

"Ours is then a soft one, theirs is incredibly soft. It's beyond me, simulation possibly it's called.

"It's really important you make it clear though, I don't do excuses, they generally throughout the game were stronger, sharper, their awareness of their shape against ours was better, and they've got a group of players who've been put together for a lot of money, and that shows sometimes.

"You just hope decisions balance out.”