Gabriel Ibitoye's 26th-minute try and James Williams' penalty three minutes later were the only scores of an attritional first half in difficult conditions.

Greg Fisilau was mauled over 12 minutes after the restart as Exeter got on the scoreboard.

The Chiefs tried to force a second, but it was Bristol that earned the win when Williams kicked an excellent 41-metre penalty before Luca Ivanishvili crashed over from close range after Olly Woodburn had fumbled a high ball.

His late try denied Exeter a losing bonus point and leaves Rob Baxter's side in ninth place on eight points, six behind the Bears.

The stormy weather's impact was in evidence from the first whistle as both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball.

Bristol almost scored in the opening 60 seconds after an Exeter mistake under a kick saw the ball bobble around in their in-goal area.

It was as close as either side came to scoring in the opening 26 minutes as the hosts had the better of the possession and territory but were stifled by a spirited Exeter defence.

The pressure finally told when Ibitoye got on the end of a looping Harry Randall pass and beat Zack Wimbush to dive into the left corner.

Williams' penalty soon after extended the lead to 10 points and Exeter then had Australia star Tom Hooper forced off with a shoulder injury just before the interval.

Despite that setback, Henry Slade almost dotted down a Sam Wolstenholme grubber kick four minutes after the restart before Exeter's maul got them back into the game soon after.

First the pack earned themselves a penalty and the second maul from the resulting lineout 10 metres out saw Fisilau forced over.

The Chiefs forwards won another penalty inside the 22 with eight minutes left, but superb work from Ibitoye saw the Bears turn the ball over six metres out.

Bristol went straight up the field and a penalty resulting from a high tackle was dispatched well by Williams despite the tough conditions.

And the weather proved to be a distraction for Woodburn soon after as he missed a high kick and was put under pressure by Ibitoye, who was stopped inches from the Exeter line.

But eight phases later Georgian replacement Ivanishvili forced his way over to seal a hard-fought victory.

Replacements: Moody, Woolmore, Halliwell, Caulfield, Owen, Marmion, Bates, Ivanishvili

Replacements: Max Norey, Burger, J Roots, Wilson, James, Varney, Haydon-Wood, Harris