City lost to their bitter rivals after Michael Owen's strike in the sixth minute of injury time gave the home side a thrilling 4-3 victory at Old Trafford.
However, Hughes was left bemused by referee Martin Atkinson's decision to add on nearly six minutes of extra time at the end of the game after the fourth official had signalled there should be a minimum of four.
'I need an explanation because I don't know why the referee has added that amount of time on,' he said.
'I don't know why so much time was needed. United were given a little more time than they should have been given to get the goal.'
Critics have pointed to the minute-long celebrations after Craig Bellamy's equaliser for 3-3 in the 90th minute and the substitution that saw Michael Carrick come on for United as reasons for the additional stoppage time.
Premier League rules say referees should add on 30 seconds for each substitution made in injury time, while the additional minute taken up by City's celebrations mean, technically, Owen's winner came with a few seconds remaining.
However, Hughes believes his team were hard done by: 'We're a bit aggrieved because we put in a hell of a shift.
'To come away with nothing is hard to take.
'We've done really well to come back three times against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
'It's a big stage here and that puts everyone under pressure, including the referees. For whatever reason he's got the timing wrong.'
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