The Aston Villa defender headed Villa into a lead in the first-half of the game that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Dunne joined Villa from Manchester City in the summer.
Hughes said: “The City fans were fantastic in terms of the reception that they gave to Richard.
“He was a fantastic player over many years for City during the good and the bad times.
“Our supporters recognised that fact and it was really special.”
Gareth Barry, who left Aston Villa and joined City in the summer, recieved a hostile reception from the crowd at Villa Park.
“The reaction was quite predictable,” he said. “I’m sure people here appreciate what Gareth did for Villa but the minority made the louder noise. I don’t think it affected him.”
