BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche felt his side were unlucky to return from the Riverside with nothing on Boxing Day.

The Clarets suffered only their third Championship defeat of the season at the hands of Middlesbrough, who are unbeaten at home since the opening day.

But Dyche felt his side, who lost top spot after a 1-0, had enough of the game to avoid going goalless for only the third time this season.

“I think it was a game where the margins were incredibly tight,” said the Burnley boss.

“I’ve checked the stats and we’ve had 56 per cent possession away from home. That doesn’t win you the game but shows you have a certain control.

“I just thought it was about the tiny margins, when little things go against you.”

Dyche made reference to what he felt was a foul on captain Jason Shackell by Marvin Emnes in the build-up to Boro’s winner to highlight the point.

“It looks an obvious one to me, but I just feel if a player’s not looking at the ball and goes crashing into a player, it’s hard to see how that’s not a foul,” he said.

“We’ve not had our fair share of decisions so we’re hoping that balances out.

“But the biggest message about today was how far it showed we have come when you see their reaction.

“I saw their bench’s reaction and trust me, it looked like they’d won something other than a football match - maybe the lottery!”

Burnley were without Ben Mee at left back because of a minor thigh strain picked up in the win over Blackpool, which put the Clarets back on top for Christmas, but Dyche is hopeful of having the defender available for Sunday’s game at Wigan Athletic.

Nick Liversedge was named on the bench at the Riverside after second choice goalkeeper Alex Cisak was struck down by a sickness bug overnight, but is also expected to be fit for the weekend.