Alesana Tuilagi scored the visitors’ only try at Sandy Park as Tigers lost an Aviva Premiership fixture for the first time in eight games.
Leading 8-6 at half-time, Tigers were unable to force home their advantage as a charge-down try for the Chiefs and two second-half penalties from fly-half Ignacio Mieres gave the hosts the four points.
“We took the try well and we looked okay at half-time,” said Tigers director of rugby Cockerill.
“They’d only had the two penalties in the first half but then they get a charge-down for a try and it turned against us. We started chasing the game, made mistake after mistake and put ourselves under pressure.
“We started trying to force the game too much and we should be better than that. They are a tough side to play against and will punish you if you get it wrong.
“That performance was not good enough. We have only ourselves to blame. The players spoke about it on the field and I spoke in the dressing room.
“We has a lot of experience out there, it was a good side. But you have to do the basics well and you have to control ball and get your foothold back in the game. We’ll have a hard look at that on Monday and deal with it. We are better than that.”
Tigers welcomed back Toby Flood and Manu Tuilagi into the starting line-up after injury, but lost scrum-half Sam Harrison and top try-scorer Alesana Tuilagi during the game.
“Sam hurt his ankle in a tackle and we’ll have to have as look at that,” said Cockerill. “Alesana had a bang in the face and a cut, but he also had a sore knee. That did not help, but no excuses, we should manage the game a lot better.”
Tigers prop Martin Castrogiovanni suffered a rib injury in Italy’s defeat by England on Saturday and Cockerill will wait to hear from the England management about which of the Elite Playing Squad will be available for next Sunday’s trip to face Saracens at Vicarage Road.
