SEAN Dyche was delighted with the way his side executed a gameplan against Manchester City - but admitted frustration in the manner the Clarets conceded.

Dean Marney's volley had put Burnley ahead against the Premier League title challengers, but Sergio Aguero struck either side of the break to hand Pep Guardiola's side all three points.

It was far from a comfortable afternoon for City's team of superstars though and they had to battle to leave Turf Moor with all three points.

"The players delivered what I wanted them to deliver, exceptionally well," said Dyche,

"We attempted to make the game as awkward as possible. I've said that about playing some of these sides, Arsenal were the same. We want to make it awkward, tough, press, do all the nuts and bolts of the game that can put people off kilter, and I thought we did that very well against a top, top side as well. And we created chances."

Aguero twice struck from inside the six-yard box to turn the game on its head, the first from a corner than Burnley failed to deal with and the second after Ben Mee and Stephen Ward had got in a tangle.

"I'm disappointed in the goals from our point of view," said Dyche."It can happen, the second, they're doing what they're meant to be doing, putting their bodies on the line, and it's only the final moment where two of them clash.

"Other than that, Ben Mee gets a great block, Tarky comes back and makes a great block, Wardy comes to clear and there's a tangle of legs.

"They're trying to do the right thing, so I'm not going to hammer them for that.

"The first one is a poor goal from our point of view, we've made two blips in a really good game plan."

Dyche was particularly pleased that his side produced a reaction from Monday night's 4-0 defeat at West Brom, when they turned in a disappointing performance.

He was also left bemused at Andre Marriner's failure to award Burnley a penalty in the early stages of the game, when Nicolas Otamendi barged Jeff Hendrick in the back inside the area.

"How it's not a penalty, I'll never know. I'm still scratching my head," he said.

"I don't know where it lives, people falling all over the place, not falling over, getting bumped, hit, and you don't get a penalty.

"I was a centre half, he's got caught the wrong side and tried to challenge through the back of him.

"Anywhere on the pitch, that's a foul, but c'est la vie."

Dyche is aware his side can still improve this season, especially away from home, but he was pleased to have matched City for large parts of the game.

"The gulf between the teams wasn't on show, and that's a good step forward for us," he said. "Part of the journey is to put all that stuff aside, all the things people talk about, the finance, we know the financial difference, everyone does, and some of the difference in quality, but it's a team game and I'm pleased our team got back to what we are about.

"There's still things we can add and change, we were unlucky with injuries, we would have changed the format late on but we couldn't.

"Generally, it's a big step forward for us, that's for sure, now we have to take that on away.

"Even away, that starts with a performance, all I wanted Monday was a performance, didn't get it, worry about results later, you have to give a performance first."

Dyche added that it was too early to asses the calf injury which Tom Heaton picked up at West Brom and which kept him out of the clash with City,