EDDIE Howe admits Burnley must make major improve-ments in defence after seeing his side slip to a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Clarets have now conceded seven goals in their first three games of the season and Howe is making attempts to strengthen defensively before the closure of the transfer window, with Stoke’s Ryan Shotton a key target.

Burnley sold left back Danny Fox to Southampton last week and were left with Andre Amougou playing alongside inexperienced trio Kieran Trippier, Ben Mee and Brian Easton at Palace.

Howe insists the Clarets still have the firepower to score goals, but saw more evidence of the club’s long-standing defensive frailties at Selhurst Park.

“I thought we created the chances, we put some dangerous balls in their box and I thought we should have had a penalty,” said Howe, who was baffled at referee Brendan Malone’s decision not to award a spot kick for Jonathan Parr’s apparent trip on Wade Elliott at 1-0.

“But defensively is a big area for concern. The obvious record is we’ve conceded two in both league games this season so far and that’s an area we need to look at.

“I think we’ll score goals this season and I think we’ll create goals, but at the other end we’ve got to tighten up.

“We need to do better defensively, there’s no doubt about that.”

Howe was disappointed that his side were a goal behind before they had really got going and said: “It was a slow start, I don’t know why.

“But once we got our foot on the ball and started playing our football I thought we were the better side. Then the second goal was a bit of a killer blow.

“If we’d started with 4-4-2 we would have had no plan B, that would have been our team and we would have had nothing to change it with.

“I’m loath to go into a game with nothing to change it with if you need to change it.

“The disappointing thing was as soon as we changed it we conceded the second goal."