England

Hughes Frustrated By Man City's Failure To Hold Off Burnley

Manager frustrated by fifth successive league draw.

Nov 7, 2009 12:09:22 PM

EPL: Mark Hughes, Manchester City v Burnley (Getty Images)

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EPL: Mark Hughes, Manchester City v Burnley (Getty Images)

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Manchester City

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has bemoaned his side's inability to cling on to a 3-2 lead after dropping two points to a late Burnley strike.

City had a disastrous first half, conceding twice to the promoted side, but fought back to come within minutes of a first win in five Premier League games before Kevin McDonald struck a late equalizer for Owen Coyle's men.

Hughes, speaking to Sky Sports News, was asked if the game was an example of the old adage of 'a game of two halves'.

"Yeah, it's fair to say that," said the Welsh manager. "We're disappointed, certainly, with our performance in the first half.

"Second half, we put in a huge effort to get in front, but we missed chances [to finish the game]."

Hughes was keen to praise Burnley for their performance, saying that they "have to be given credit" for closing down the midfield and not allowing his side to "get the ball down and play it".

But, after coming back from a two-goal deficit and dominating the second half, Hughes was clearly disappointed to come away with only a point.

"At 2-0 we had to show qualities to get back," added Hughes. "In fairness, we did that.

"But I'm disappointed that we didn't see the game out. After the effort we put in, we had to see the game out," he added.

"There are things we need to look at. Things we need to address."

Nick Price, Goal.com

How is England's lack of youth development hurting the national team? Find out in the November issue of Goal.com Magazine.