Paul Cooke and Blaymire combined twice to give the visitors the slenderest of hope with 35 minutes to go.

BBC: Wigan Warriors 54-14 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

He said the special forces who carried out the operation "did an extraordinary job with just the slenderest of bits of information".

BBC: Bin Laden raid: Barack Obama describes 'huge risks'

Yet the polls, until late last year, had been giving Mr Aznar and his party only the slenderest of leads over their Socialist rivals.

ECONOMIST: Spain

Unlike Columbus, who had firearms and reliable contact with Europe, the Vikings had the same weapons as the natives, spears and bows and arrows, and only the slenderest contact with Greenland.

ECONOMIST: Helge Ingstad

Wayne Rooney and Hernandez have developed a potent partnership and they almost created the breakthrough for United when the Mexican headed in an inviting cross, only to be ruled offside by the slenderest of margins.

BBC: Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea (agg 3-1)

Shakhtar sent on Douglas Costa and he twice went close before Schwarzer pulled off a fine fingertip save to deny Fernandinho in stoppage time to preserve for Fulham the slenderest of advantages going into the second leg.

BBC: Fulham 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk