Northampton Saints climbed to the top of the Premiership with a 30-22 victory over Harlequins, as defeat for Exeter Chiefs opened the door for Jim Mallinder's side.

Newcastle Falcons had reached the summit with a win against London Irish earlier in the round, but a positive result for Exeter at Leicester Tigers would have seen last season's champion reclaim top spot.

However, the Chiefs fell victim to Leicester's third victory in succession in a match that ended 20-13 at Welford Road, leaving Northampton top of the pile on points difference.

Harlequins fought admirably in the absence of a host of injured stars, including Mike Brown, Chris Robshaw and Joe Marler, but tries from George North, Tom Collins, Mike Haywood and Ahsee Tuala saw Northampton to a bonus-point win.

Defeat for Quins could be compounded after England prop Kyle Sinckler was accused of gouging by Michael Paterson in the second half, which could lead to retrospective disciplinary action for the 24-year-old.

Leicester put its slow start to the season firmly in the past and now sits fifth in the table.

Matt O'Connor's men lost to Bath and Northampton Saints in their opening two fixtures of the campaign, but they followed up victories over Gloucester and Harlequins with another four-point haul.

Nick Malouf and Jonny May crossed for Leicester on a wet afternoon, while Gareth Steenson's last-minute penalty earned Exeter the consolation of a losing bonus point.