Everton 1-0 Burnley: Sean Dyche cannot understand how Kevin Mirallas avoided red card

Sean Dyche claims Burnley are being punished for not surrounding referees after seeing his side lose 1-0 at Everton.

The Clarets lost in controversial circumstances after Ashley Barnes was sent off on the stroke of half-time for two bookable offences, yet Toffees goalscorer Kevin Mirallas escaped with only a yellow card for a studs-up challenge on George Boyd later in the match.

Dyche was amazed the Belgium international stayed on the pitch and wondered whether the outcome would have been different had his players followed the example of some Premier League teams in surrounding referee Mike Jones when making the decision.

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"I don't think fans want to see players surrounding referees,” Dyche told Sky Sports.

“We don't - maybe we should because other teams would have for the Mirallas challenge.

"It is impossible he stays on the football pitch. I have no clue [why it was not a red card] - high, late. I don't understand how he wasn't sent off.

"It is nothing about him as a person, it is just factually in my opinion a red-card challenge."

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Dyche also had issue with a first-half Ross Barkley penalty saved by goalkeeper Tom Heaton, which was awarded despite David Jones's tackle on Aaron Lennon appearing to be outside the box,

"I was interested in the view of the penalty he had," Dyche added.

"I have seen it back and it was outside the box. Tom made a fantastic save and we carried on.

"Then Scotty Arfield is dancing across their box and there is an attempted challenge that misses and we all know if he goes down it is probably going to be given [as a penalty].

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"If Barnes gets booked earlier in the game for attempting and missing (a tackle) then the principle should be the same.

"We attempt not to simulate. We attempt not to have too many rows with the referee yet you don't get things, so where does it leave you.

"You do it right and you get nothing, you do it wrong and you get something - which is kind of against the principles of the game."

Dyche had no complaints about Barnes's sending-off, which rules him out of next weekend's crucial visit of fellow strugglers Leicester.

"It was just two silly challenges, not malicious. I think to be fair this ref got that one right, that was good," he added.