We didn't play anything like we can

“We’ve won nothing yet,” he said after the match, “But it is nice to be top. We did our job and won and we are top of the table for now but that’s all we can do.

“It was a good performance, Turf Moor is a difficult place to come and play and in the first half we played very well. In the second half they changed to 4-4-2 and made it harder for us but it was a great victory.

“We played some good football on a surface that they have actually improved. We had some pressure to deal with in the second half but nevertheless we have kept a clean sheet which we haven’t done for a while.”

He had a word of sympathy for the Clarets and boss Steve Cotterill over the second goal after the referee ignored the fact that Gary Cahill was fouled. “I can’t do anything about it,” said McCarthy added, “I understand Steve’s frustrations and it was a free kick but we weren’t going to give them the ball back. We did exactly what Burnley would have done, we rolled the ball across and put it into the net.”

Looking down from the top he said, “It was a good three points from a difficult game, they are a decent side. We’ve responded to the defeat at Brighton and got nine points out of nine.”

It wasn’t a good night for Steve Cotterill against one of his former clubs and needless to say the first thing he was asked about was the sending off of Ade Akinbiyi.

“He deserved to be sent off,” said Cotterill. “I asked him if he had anything to say to the lads but he’d already apologised to them by the time I got into the dressing room, "I will say that if you don’t know Ade then you will have a different opinion of him than if you actually know him. He’s had ten days here which have been full of frustration and he has been desperate to play after signing for the club.

“He was desperate to get on the field of player and he tried to do everything and it ended up like that. I think I can safely say that his Burnley career can only get better.”

On the performance itself he was far from happy. “In the second half we decided to play a bit, we decided to have a go,” he said. “In the first half we didn’t, we looked as if we still had Blackburn in our legs, I thought we looked awfully sloppy and tired from the start.

“We just looked tired and jaded and I haven’t had to do it often but I got into them a little bit at half time and I felt they needed that. Overall I am desperately disappointed tonight because we didn’t play anything like we can.”

He was not happy with the second goal. “That second goal, how is it not a free kick? I can’t understand it but I thought we got absolutely nothing from the officials. I thought they were poor although I’m not blaming them for the defeat.

“I asked the referee afterwards and he said that if he looked at it on television and it proved the decision was wrong then he would apologise.” Steve then smiled and added, “I was chuffed to bits when he said that, my night is starting to get better.”

He ended with a word for the Sunderland supporters who had made the trip to the Turf. “Id like to than their fans very much for the reception they gave me when I came out. That was terrific and it really meant a lot to Steve Cotterill. Good luck and best wishes to Sunderland.”