THIS defeat to title-chasing Bath, coupled with the ill-timed news last week that only the top four sides will qualify for next season's Heineken European Cup, makes it quite simple for Saracens: they must win their final two games.

Bath put the brakes on the momentum Saracens had gained after three successive victories, leaving the Watford-based club needing to defeat European qualification rivals Northampton and Bristol in their remaining games to propel them into the top four.

Despite this defeat piling more pressure on Sarries to deliver in their last two games, skipper Francois Pienaar did not consider it a dent to his side's hopes of qualifying.

He said: 'This was always going to be the game we could afford to lose, but the other two are vital now. We cannot slip up in those.

'We've had a lot of injuries in our team and had a lot of changes in the back. You have to put this game into context. They had their best side out there and we didn't.'

With Scott Murray and Thierry Lacroix missing from the starting line-up and Kyran Bracken absent from the 21st minute with a neck injury, the Men in Black were unable to keep pace with the vibrancy of Bath's free-running backs.

Both Ryan Constable and Ben Johnston were carrying injuries and Nick Walshe was drafted in to play at fly-half, a position he is not accustomed to.

Four times Sarries were exposed by the pace Bath's attacks and four times Sarries were punished for their profligacy of conceding penalties.

While Saracens lacked invention and zip, Bath had it in abundance. Sarries were unravelled by the pace of Bath's backs as early as the fourth minute.

From Bath's tenth consecutive league victory, it was easy to see how they had risen to second in the Premiership, two points behind Leicester who have a game in hand to secure the title before the two sides meet later this month.

Matt Perry broke through two tackles en route to scoring the opening try and Bath almost found a way through moments later when Adedayo Adebayo chipped over Sarries' ranks only for Martin Haag to be hauled down ten metres from the line.

Sarries' cause was not helped when Bracken asked to be replaced after he was left groggy following a clash with Adebayo.

Jon Preston kicked Bath further ahead with a penalty, after missing an earlier attempt, before Sarries were wrong-footed by the galloping Iain Balshaw on 29 minutes.

Saracens hit back minutes later when Paul Wallace found Darragh O'Mahony outside him but, four minutes before the interval, Sarries were caught off-side, allowing Preston to increase the hosts' lead to 23-10.

But Sarries had more purpose about them in the second half.

Pienaar said: 'The game was there for the taking but we weren't nearly as competitive as we were against Irish and Harlequins. We didn't have any zip as we ran onto the ball in the first half.'

After slicing his first penalty attempt soon after the restart, Rob Thirlby soon made amends, bringing Sarries to within ten points.

After Perry's burst into Sarries' territory, Mike Catt deceived the retreating visitors' defence with an audacious dummy to run in Bath's third try. Mike Tindall broke Johnston's tackle to go over in the right-hand corner to leave Saracens 24 points adrift.

But Sarries were not about to capitulate. Thirlby intercepted a misplaced pass in his own 22 before streaking the length of the field and O'Mahony and Walshe combined inventively for Tony Diprose to storm in.