Exeter Chiefs ended their 232 day wait for a win in the Gallagher Premiership with an emotional 22-15 win over Gloucester Rugby to climb off the foot of the table at the turn of the year.

The Cherry and Whites, who could have climbed into the top four with victory, continued their woeful record at Sandy Park having not won in Devon in the league for a decade, and the visitors looked to be struggling a post-Christmas hangover.

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England star Henry Slade was central to Exeter ’s victory as he dictated play in the backline as well as kicking seven points and assisting a try for Tamati Tua who was joined on the scoresheet by player of the match Dan Frost and replacement tighthead Josh Iosefa-Scott.

Gloucester came back in the second half and took the lead after tries from Gareth Anscombe and Jamal Ford-Robinson and five points from the boot of Santi Carreras, but they were outwilled by the desperate hosts who sent Sandy Park into raptures at the final whistle as the long wait for a home win was ended.

Exeter Chiefs were handed an early Christmas present just two minutes into the contest when Seb Blake overthrew at a lineout, 5m out from his own line and the ball went over the outreached hands of Freddie Thomas and into the grasps of Frost who crashed over the line. Slade swept home the wide conversion to make it a perfect start.

The centre centre, crowbarred into fly-half in Exeter’s moment of need, then missed a 40m penalty and Gloucester hit back through a Carreras penalty.

But the early try was the injection of encouragement that Chiefs needed, and the hosts struck again midway through the half with Slade arcing a cross-field kick into the arms of Tua, lurking on the wing, and the centre stepped inside the desperate cover tackle of Josh Hathaway to touch down. Slade again added the extras.

Chiefs really should have had a third try just before half time but Richard Capstick was cut down less than a metre from the line and Ruan Ackermann latched onto the ball to win his side a pressure-relieving penalty.

Gloucester received an unexpected lifeline within five minutes of the restart as try-scorer Tua turned villain when his pass was intercepted by Anscombe, who enjoyed an unopposed 45-metre run to the line. Carreras added the extras, and from nowhere Exeter found themselves under scoreboard pressure for the first time.

Gloucester then lost wing Christian Wade, who did not rejoin the action after undergoing a head injury assessment, and a quickfire second blow followed when lock Matias Alemanno suffered an arm injury. But despite the disruption, Gloucester rapidly regrouped and they struck from a close-range lineout when Ford-Robinson was driven over, although Carreras missed an easy conversion.

And that error was punished just three minutes later as Slade kicked a penalty to put Exeter 17-15 ahead early in the final quarter.

Carreras then sent a 25-metre penalty chance wide that would have put Gloucester back in front, and the Chiefs could barely believe such a let-off as the game entered its closing 10 minutes. And Exeter struck from their next attack, with Rob Baxter's replacements making a huge impact as Will Haydon-Wood and Zack Wimbush broke through the Cherry and Whites backline before Franco Molina picked and powered his way into the 22. The ball was flashed down the left with Slade putting Rusi Tuima through a gap to see the big lock get within a foot of the line, allowing Iosefa-Scott to claim the clinching score.

Exeter Chiefs: 15. Josh Hodge, 14. Olly Woodburn, 13. Ben Hammersley, 12. Tamati Tua, 11. Tommy Wyatt, 10. Henry Slade, 9. Stu Townsend, 1. Scott Sio, 2. Dan Frost, 3. Marcus Street, 4. Dafydd Jenkins (c), 5. Richard Capstick, 6. Ethan Roots, 7. Jacques Vermeulen, 8. Greg Fisilau

Replacements: 16. Jack Innard, 17. Will Goodrick-Clarke, 18. Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19. Rusi Tuima, 20. Franco Molina, 21. Tom Cairns, 22. Will Haydon-Wood, 23. Zack Wimbush

Gloucester Rugby: 15. Santi Carreras, 14. Christian Wade, 13. Max Llewellyn, 12. Seb Atkinson, 11. Josh Hathaway, 10. Gareth Anscombe, 9. Tomos Williams, 1. Mayco Vivas, 2. Seb Blake, 3. Kirill Gotovtsev, 4. Freddie Thomas, 5. Matias Alemanno, 6. Jack Clement, 7. Lewis Ludlow (c), 8. Ruan Ackermann

Replacements: 16. Jack Singleton, 17. Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18. Ciaran Knight, 19. Cam Jordan, 20. Albert Tuisue, 21. Caolan Englefield, 22. Chris Harris, 23. George Barton

Referee: Ian Tempest

Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe and Gareth Holsgrove

TMO: David Rose