"By the very nature of his game - always looking to get the ball forward, taking a man on, trying a trick - he's going to make mistakes, " adds Blunt.

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United needed a creative player in the same mould as the suspended Paul Scholes, whose ability to spray the ball around and get forward from midfield was badly missed.

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Bowling from around the wicket, the Yorkshireman had Cowan bottom-edging a pull onto his stumps, before Khawaja got a first-baller, failing to get forward to a ball on a good length just shaping away and edging to Prior.

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Hodge (73) failed to get far enough forward to a good-length ball and edged to Russell before Pattison (27) became Spearman's second catch at first slip.

BBC: Sillence stuns Durham

They almost got it at the start of the second half when Hook broke and kicked the ball forward, only for Shane Horgan to get his hand to it first.

BBC: Leinster 19-13 Ospreys

After Clint Barmes led off with his second homer of the season, Gomez hit a sinking liner and Lagares reached low to get his glove on the ball, which popped out as he stumbled forward.

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He started Terry for forward Brandon Bass, trying to find a way to get another ball handler on the floor.

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Mathers barged Ryan Hall out of the way, arguably illegally, as he waited to get his hands on a high bomb from Danny McGuire, and the ball bounced forward off Mathers' backside to be collected by Chris Riley - but no offside whistle was forthcoming.

BBC: Leeds 6-30 Warrington