JOE Hart said the assistant referee apologised to him for 'switching off' during the second goal in Burnley's 5-0 defeat to Manchester City.

The Clarets keeper enjoyed an unhappy return to the Etihad as the Clarets fell to a heavy loss.

The key moment was the second goal, scored by Bernardo Silva, after David Silva pulled the ball back when it had seemingly run out of play.

That came after referee Jon Moss looked set to give City a spot kick for a Jack Cork challenge on Leroy Sane before changing his mind. In the uncertainty, Silva stayed alert to set up a goal Hart felt shouldn't have stood.

The Clarets keeper said: "The linesman apologised for switching off, but that’s huge, it’s hard to take.

“I appreciate the human side but he apologised so he must be pretty clear it went out."

And the 31-year-old admitted it had been a frustrating return to his former home.

“There is a feeling of frustration in my chest right now," he said, speaking to the BBC.

"The crowd reaction was nice but I came here as a Burnley player, it was far from a perfect day.”