Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has admitted that his side deserved Friday's defeat to Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership.

The Chiefs saw their eight-game winning run in all competitions come to an end last night with an 11-18 loss at the AJ Bell Stadium.

"Sale dominated the game and got what they deserved," Baxter told Sky Sports News. "They dominated the key areas and if you get on top in those conditions then you deserve to win.

"We gave away a few early penalties and then got a couple of yellow cards, so we were under pressure right away then. We were hanging on for 10 minutes, which I thought we did really well, but the opposition played well and we didn't deal with that pressure very well."

Exeter are next in action on December 27 when they travel to Bath in the league.