Bath's Matt Banahan drives forward at The Rec

Bath (23) 26
Tries: Stevens, Mears, Banahan
Cons: James
Pens: James 3

Leicester (0) 12
Tries: Humphreys, F Murphy
Cons: Humphreys

Bath dealt a blow to Leicester's play-off hopes but missed the chance to earn a potentially crucial bonus point.

Matt Stevens's early try set the tone for a one-sided first half, with Lee Mears and Matt Banahan also crossing for a 23-0 Bath lead at the break.

The Tigers offered much more in the second half, and were rewarded with a sharp Ian Humphreys try on 47 minutes.

Frank Murphy narrowed the gap further and Bath, who had two men sin-binned, could not find the fourth try.

Leicester captain Martin Corry, who started the match on the bench, said the match was a "must-win game" for his side after their comprehensive defeat in Saturday's EDF Energy Cup defeat by the Ospreys.

But the Tigers, who made 14 changes from the line-up which played at Twickenham, made a nightmare start as Stevens ignored an overlap outside him to crash over after just two minutes.

606: DEBATE Bath played really well because Leicester allowed them to TonyDSD

Bath flanker Jonny Faamatuainu could have added a second try but paid the price for a slapdash one-handed carry as he went over the line as an outstanding Matt Cornwell tackle knocked the ball out of his grasp.

Mears did add a second though, crossing next to the posts after sustained Bath pressure, and Banahan's try late in the half left Leicester in terrible trouble.

Under-pressure Leicester coach Marcelo Loffreda had a tough team talk to deliver at half-time, but the Argentine must have said something right as the Tigers came out with much more purpose for the second half.

Bath won a penalty in front of the posts just 5m out, but opted to kick the three points rather than go for a killer fourth try.

It proved to be the wrong decision as a fired-up Leicester came back at the hosts, and Humphreys' try - after he collected his own chip ahead - finally got them on the scoreboard.

Bath scrum-half Michael Classens was sin-binned for a cynical offence at the breakdown and Banhan followed him five minutes later for tackling Murphy without the ball.

Murphy did score with five minutes to go, after Tom Croft just got the ball back into play before going into touch, to spark hopes of an unlikely Leicester fightback, but there was insufficient time for either side to score.

Leicester's defeat leaves them in sixth place with just three Premiership games left to play, while Bath moved to within two points of leaders Gloucester.

• Leicester boss Marcelo Loffreda:

"There is no doubt that we have to win our last three games to have a chance of the play-offs.

"But we are thinking in a positive way and we now look forward to the Bristol game on Saturday. All the games are massive now."

Bath head coach Steve Meehan:
"I thought we played some great rugby in the first half.

"The skill level of this team has improved enormously, and I thought some of the rugby we played was breathtaking.

"If you are going to be ultra critical, you will look at the fact we didn't get a bonus point, but Leicester have got a very good defensive record and we should be quite proud of the way we attacked and the amount of pressure we put on them."

Bath: Maddock, Higgins, Crockett, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Banahan, James, Claassens, Flatman, Mears, Stevens, Borthwick, Grewcock, Faamatuainu, Lipman, Browne.
Replacements: Dixon, Bell, Short, Goodman, Baxter, Barkley, Stephenson.

Leicester: Vesty, Varndell, Erinle, Cornwell, Dodge, Humphreys, Laussucq, Ayerza, Kayser, White, Blaze, Kay, Croft, Pienaar, B. Deacon.
Replacements: Davies, Moreno, Corry, Crane, F. Murphy, Mauger, J. Murphy.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)