SEAN Dyche admitted he was at a loss to explain Burnley’s first-half performance in their defeat against Aston Villa.

The 2-1 reverse was a third straight loss for the Clarets who are now only three points above Villa and being sucked towards the Premier League relegation zone.

Westley and Jack Grealish scored as the hosts stumbled out of the blocks, wasteful in possession and off the pace in the opening 45 minutes at Turf Moor.

Dyche sent on Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jay Rodriguez for the second half and was pleased with the improvement but made no attempt to disguise his unhappiness with the first 45 minutes as his side’s disappointing run over a busy Christmas and new year period continued.

“We were a long way short in the first half, which was a head-scratcher for me after such a strong performance second half against Manchester United,” the Burnley boss said.

"We were way short in and out of possession, the detail, the bravery to play, the framework of the side, and we got punished.

“Fair play to them, they took their chances well when they got them.

"Obviously a big reaction at half-time but you can't wait in the Premier League and it looked like we were waiting for the game to come our way."