Will Skelton hailed the fight and resilience of his Saracens teammates despite going down to Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Park on Sunday.

Moray Low’s late score gave the Chiefs a 20-18 win to consign Mark McCall’s Sarries to their first league defeat on home soil for more than 18 months.

Despite enjoying most of the possession and leading for much of the contest, Sarries now sit five points behind Chiefs at the top of the Premiership.

READ MORE: Saracens and Exeter set for top of the table showdown

But Australia’s Skelton, who penned permanent terms with Sarries before the start of the season, believes they have shown enough fight to keep them challenging for honours come the end of the campaign.

“We held them out and put them under a lot of pressure there but credit to Exeter, they executed their game plan and we didn’t do enough on the night,” said the 25-year-old.

READ MORE: Exeter boss' praise after nine-point interval deficit overturned to beat Saracens

“The fight that we showed was extremely encouraging along with the physicality that we brought within our 22 area, we felt comfortable on our own line but there were just a few moments where we let slip and they took their opportunities.

“We look out for each other and are renowned for our defence, I think that showed. In key parts of the game Exeter got over the top but for the most part of the game we were awesome, feeling really comfortable and bringing a lot of energy.”

READ MORE: Exeter extend lead over Saracens with impressive away win