Premiership leaders Exeter survived the shock of playing two men down for seven minutes as they held on to beat London Irish at Madejski Stadium.

Olly Woodburn and Ollie Devoto were sin-binned for deliberate knock-ons.

But although Irish claimed a fourth try for a bonus point, that was as close as they got in a game of 10 tries.

Sam Hill (two), Dave Dennis, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Devoto and replacement Stuart Townsend got the Exeter tries, all converted by Gareth Steenson.

That keeps the Chiefs a point clear of second-placed Northampton, who also survived being reduced to 13 men to pull off a frantic last-gasp win over Wasps in Coventry.

Exeter's other three points came from the boot of Steenson, who calmed things down with a victory-sealing penalty, the final score of the game, when Exeter were still down to 13 men.

Stephen Myler also enjoyed a 100% record with the boot, improving the four tries from right winger Belgium Tuatagaloa, number eight Albert Tuisue, left winger Oliver Hassell-Collins and flanker Steve Mafi.

After Tuatagaloa's try had cancelled out Hill's early opener for the Chiefs, the visitors then appeared to have killed the contest when they scored three times in the space of six minutes just before the break, and another from Hill within two minutes of the restart.

But two tries in four minutes from Tuisue and Hassell-Collins pulled it back to 35-21.

Townsend restored Exeter's three-try cushion before first Woodburn and then Devoto were both shown yellow cards, just as they were in the Heineken Champions Cup tie against Clermont.

But, although Mafi finally made the two-man advantage count to earn that fourth try and late point for Irish, Steenson's 67th-minute penalty had a calming effect. And there was no further scoring as Exeter saw out only their third five-point win of the season.

London Irish: Veitokani; Tuatagaloa, Rona, Stephenson, Hassell-Collins; Myler, Meehan; Dell, Fainga'a, Hoskins, Van der Merwe (capt), Coleman, Mafi, Cowan, Tuisue.

Replacements: Maddison, Porecki, Elrington, Chawatama, Rogerson, Phipps, Atkins, Campbell.

Exeter Chiefs: Hogg; Nowell, Devoto, S Hill, Woodburn; Steenson, White; Hepburn, Cowan-Dickie, Pieretto, Kirsten, Dennis (capt), Ewers, Armand, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Taione, Moon, Street, Lonsdale, Kvesic, Townsend, J Simmonds, Dollman.

Referee: Christophe Ridley.