Exeter Chiefs vs Harlequins player ratings: Gallagher PREM

The home side seemed on for a late comeback after going down 10 points in the last quarter, but Slade and Co. could not guide the Devonians to their second Prem win of the season.

Early Chiefs’ handling errors hampered the home side as swift Harlequin countermeasures flipped the field position in the opening exchanges.

This allowed Cadan Murley to dot down the opening try following a Chiefs’ spill just inside the Quarters’ half in the 3rd minute.

Nick David scored the second in the 11th minute after some lacklustre Chiefs defending that left the open side of the field undermanned as the Welsh winger scythed through the Devonians' defence.

Despite their early inaccuracies, Exeter did reply with a Harry Wilson pick-and-go in the 19th minute as the home side built their best attacking platform off their line-out and close-range carries.

Only 4 minutes after Exeter's response, Quins suffered another blow as inside centre Bryn Bradley was harshly yellow-carded for a high tackle on Ethan Roots.

The first half continued in much the same fashion as Harlequins began to buckle under sustained pressure from the Chiefs.

This resulted in Nika Abuladze trundling over the boundary for another close-range Chiefs try in the 39th minute.

The second half followed suit as the match began to feel more like a lineout exhibition, intermittently interrupted by brief passages of play.

Will Butt took the lead for his side as costly missed tackles from the Harlequins' defensive line gave the former Bath centre a direct route to the line in the 43rd minute.

Harlequins then regained parity through a Chiefs-like passage of close-range carries, with Lucas Schmid scoring and Marcus Smith converting in the 55th minute.

The Quarters extended their lead in the 67th and 73rd minutes with close-range scores in the left and right corners from back rowers Lucas Schmid and Jack Kenningham.

Buoyed by an ever-vocal Sandy Park crowd, the Chiefs seemed to mount a late comeback after Olly Woodburn crashed over in the 78th minute and, with a Slade conversion, cut the deficit to just three.

This was too little too late, however, as the Devonians' death rattles petered out as they lost their first lineout of the match on the last play of the game, allowing Quins to put the ball into touch.

Exeter Chiefs: Tries: (Murley: 3’, David 11’, Schmid 55’, 67’, Kenningham 73’) Conversions: (Smith: 4’, 12’)

Harlequins: Tries: (Wilson 19’, Abuladze 38’, Butt 43’) Conversions: (Slade: 20’, 38’, 44’)

The young Harlequins back-rower was central to a brave Harlequins performance, bringing a physical edge his team has lacked since last season.

Robust in attack and defence, his brace in 12 minutes was the highlight of the day as he pushed his side just beyond the Chiefs' comeback clutches.

Skinner’s inability to build a bigger lead while Bryn Bradley was sin-binned in the first half was one of the key reasons his side fell short today.

While he dictated some good attacks and managed the kicking battle, the Chiefs have the ball too much for their lack of scoring this season.

Having played just 40 mins last week, questions remained about how ready Fin Baxter was to don the England kit once again.

However, his 65-minute performance today showed very promising signs that the cherubic loosehead could be set for an international return less than a month after recovering from injury.