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Premier League: Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert felt his side should have beaten Burnley

Aston Villa manager looks on during the game against West Ham
Image: Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert felt his side should have been out of sight

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert felt his side should have been out of sight by half-time as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor.

Villa had gone ahead thanks to Joe Cole, who marked his first Premier League start since December 2013 with the opening goal.

But Danny Ings equalised with a penalty three minutes from time to add to the pressure on Lambert, whose side have now gone nine Premier League games without a win although they have now drawn their last three.

You watch him in training, he has great enthusiasm for a guy that's won everything in the game and I thought his performance was outstanding.
Paul Lambert on Joe Cole

"We should have been out of sight in the first-half to be honest with you," Lambert told Sky Sports. "The way we played for long spells in that game was really good.

"The way Joe Cole played, I thought he was outstanding. If we had him four and five years earlier we would have had a really top player on our hands there. I thought he was exceptional.

"We lost two points and could have lost three when Burnley hit the post at the end, but for eighty-odd minutes we were well dominant in the game.

"He (Cole) is getting fitter and fitter with every passing week. You watch him in training, he has great enthusiasm for a guy that's won everything in the game and I thought his performance was outstanding.

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"This was a game that we should have won. It was a game that got away from us, but coming to a newly-promoted team is always tough."