Gloucester's win was the perfect response to the Leicester defeat last week
Gloucester held off a late Bath fightback to claim their first ever league win at the Recreation Ground.
The visitors had looked comfortable at 21-5 ahead after 67 minutes following tries from number eight Luke Narraway and fly-half Willie Walker.
But Bath set up a grandstand finish with scores from Joe Maddock and Nick Abendanon in the closing eight minutes.
Bath, whose fly-half Butch James missed all of his five attempts at goal, piled forward late on, but time ran out.
James, the Springboks fly-half who scored 18 points in the win over Bristol last week, missed four penalties and a conversion while also seeing his attempted clearance charged down by Walker for Gloucester's match-winning try.
After the defeat by Leicester last week, Gloucester coach Dean Ryan decided to drop Ryan Lamb, Italy captain Marco Bortolami and scrum-half Rory Lawson for the game against Bath.
And the visitors started well, with Walker firing over a drop goal after a minute.
That score was wiped out by Lipman, who was sent clear by Jonny Faamatuainu after some neat work at a line-out.
James missed the conversion and then a penalty when Gloucester flanker Peter Buxton was lucky to escape a yellow card for a reckless high tackle on Abendanon that sparked a brawl.
Walker, however, kicked two penalties before the break to give his side a 9-5 lead, and the visitors continued to press after the break.
James missed another three-pointer on the hour mark, just before Narraway took advantage of the new law variations to burst off the back of the scrum and cross unchallenged from 25 metres out.
Walker then gave his side a nine-point cushion by converting his own try.
The game seemed up for Bath, but wing Maddock danced his way over on 72 minutes before Abendanon, in front of the watching England head coach Martin Johnson, gave his side real hope with a score just a minute from time.
Bath went for the victory but a spilled ball in midfield led to referee Wayne Barnes blowing the final whistle, sparking wild celebrations among the Gloucester supporters.
Bath coach Steve Meehan: "We gave Gloucester sufficient opportunities to win the game. When we woke up and started playing we put them under pressure. We have to learn from it.
"We have to focus on the ruck area, we seem to be interpreting things differently. Games are not won or lost in the ruck but matches can swing on it.
"Perhaps after the first couple of misses at goal we should have gone for touch but I have never tried to blame the kickers and I will not start now. They have my support."
Gloucester coach Dean Ryan: "Sometimes it's just about the result. I have been here a lot of times when we have played better than them and come away with nothing so this is a nice result.
"We played well for 70 minutes and then we just lose our heads. Not everything right for us today but we are trying to do the right thing.
"Last week was the first game of the season, but we clearly hadn't learnt lessons - so I wasn't going to hang around for five or six games.
"Previously, I would probably have said to learn from things. But you get to a point where you have to draw a line in the sand."
Bath: Abendanon; Maddock, Cheeseman, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Banahan; James, Claassens; Flatman, Mears, Stevens, Harrison, Short, Hooper, Lipman, Faamatuainu. Replacements: Berne for Cheeseman (63), Cuthbert for Banahan (65), Bemand for Claassens (63), Barnes for Flatman (50), Dixon for Mears (65), Bell for Stevens (65), Scaysbrook for Faamatuainu (64).
Gloucester: Morgan; Simpson-Daniel, Watkins, Tindall, Vainikolo; Walker, Cooper; Wood, Azam, Nieto, James, Brown, Buxton, Hazell, Narraway. Replacements: Lamb for Morgan (74), R. Lawson for Cooper (50), Young for Wood (60), Titterrell for Azam (71), Bortolami for James (50), Strokosch for Hazell (74).
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