Burnley 1 Manchester City 0: Manuel Pellegrini claims side were 'very unlucky' in defeat

Pablo Zabaleta had a penalty waved away in the final minutes

(Getty Images)

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini said his side were "very unlucky" to lose to Premier League strugglers Burnley.

George Boyd scored the only goal of the game at Turf Moor as Pablo Zabaleta had a late penalty appeal waved away.

Pellegrin admitted something was wrong with his team.

"Yes, of course," he said. "The results are wrong, because we are not winning the games we normally do."

George Boyd celebrates after scoring (GETTY IMAGES)

Asked why, he added: "Because we don't score."

Defeat left City five points behind leaders Chelsea, who have two games in hand. They are only five points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester United, having played a game more than their city rivals.

Pellegrini added: "The chances for the title are now far, but we must continue fighting for our position."

On whether he thought his side should have had a penalty, the Chilean added: "Maybe, but it is the referee who decided. I don't have a strong view."

Boyd hailed a "massive win" for Burnley after scoring a sweetly-struck shot just after the hour-mark, earning Sean Dyche's side all three points to boost his side's survival hopes.

The win moved the third-bottom hosts to within a point of fourth-bottom Sunderland and three of 14th-placed Everton.

Boyd said on Sky Sports 1: "It's a massive win for us. "It's a massive three points and it brings a lot of teams back in the hunt."

Defender Ben Mee added: "We've always been in the fight, we're looking forward to it."

City had a strong penalty claim turned away when Mee appeared to bring down Pablo Zabaleta in the final minutes.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche said he had not seen the incident, but added: "If we've got that one then fair play, we haven't always had the big decisions go our way."

Dyche praised his side's display, but emphasised the need to keep feet on the ground.

"Today we managed to get the margins to go our way," he said. "There is great belief in what we do here and you can see that.

"It still is a challenge, we enjoy today of course, to bring a big result is fantastic for everyone, but we know there's a long way to go."

The win was Burnley's first since January 10 and Dyche added: "We've been denied a few times, but not broken."

Additional reporting from PA