BURNLEY manager Sean Dyche felt Crystal Palace's "simple" approach proved the difference as Roy Hodgson's men edged their Premier League clash 1-0.

Bakary Sako's first-half finish at Selhurst Park lifted Palace up to 12th in the table and five points clear of the bottom three, having lost their opening seven league fixtures.

The hosts could have scored twice more by half-time, with Christian Benteke and Sako both narrowly missing, but thereafter Burnley improved.

The Clarets remain seventh after a fine start to the season but they are without a victory from their past seven games and risk undermining their previously impressive results.

Dyche reflected: "It's the simplicity of Palace's play. We didn't really deal with that.

"They were better than us in the first half – but not by miles. Then the second half we were decent and probably deserved to scratch a draw in the end.

"The margins were tight early in the season, when we were winning a lot of games, and the margins are tight now.

"We've moved a long way from where we were last season, particularly away from home.

"I'm not overly disappointed. I'm certainly not disappointed when you look at the league table. We have to make (the results) come our way."