Unable to hold onto a 13-point lead, seemingly devoid of any belief that they can win close games and now wrecked by a cruel injury list – at least Bristol still have David Lemi.

At a time when all else seems to be going wrong for Bristol – a sequence of one victory in 16 games does not occur by accident – at least there is the little ray of hope from the Samoan village of Vaiafai.

In a contest that provided little in the way of genuine excitement, the 26-year-old speedster offered a timely reminder of his outrageous talent with two well-taken tries to mark his return from a wrist injury.

Even Richard Hill, that great advocate of the team effort, described his side's display as a "one-man show" after watching his winger display the kind of clinical finishing that may well keep Bristol in the Guinness Premiership.

It is not that Lemi's team-mates lack his dedication or work-rate, but he sees opportunities, gets through gaps and takes his chances in a way that few in the land can match.

Fortunately for Hill and Bristol, the selectors of the Pacific Islands squad are happy enough with their choice of Sireli Bobo, Sailosi Tagicakibau, Kameli Ratuvou and Vilimoni Delasau for the forthcoming tour of Europe. Should any of those wingers get injured, though, Hill may be advised to switch his telephone off – and hide Lemi's.

Bristol need a fair few other things in addition to a fit and on-song Lemi – notably some reliable goal-kicking after Adrian Jarvis failed with five of his seven shots at the sticks.

They could also do with a slice of good fortune – if losing key men Nathan Budgett, Neil Brew and Mark Regan to injury was not enough, they were also hugely unlucky to see winger Mat Turner yellow-carded six minutes into his home debut for a "dangerous tackle" that was nothing of the sort.

In reality, the substitute's only crime was that he stopped in his tracks and stood his ground as the Saracens winger gathered the high ball.

Bristol led 19-9 when Turner went off – when he returned, they were 21-19 down, Cato and Alex Goode scoring tries while the hosts were numerically disadvantaged.

"I think a yellow card was a little bit harsh – I don't think there was any intent there," said Hill. "Mat is a young lad and is not like that – he was pretty upset that that happened to him, but Saracens capitalised on it and credit to them for doing so. We lost our grip on the game after that."

Bristol had looked comfortable if not spectacular in building a 19-6 lead shortly after half-time – but their late slide hinted at confidence issues.

They had gone 8-0 up through a Jarvis penalty and Lemi's first try following a scrum on the right wing with Vunga Lilo supplying the scoring pass.

It was 8-3 when lock Budgett left the field on a stretcher with his right lower leg in a protective splint. Hill had a look of horror on his face as he later revealed the Welshman's fibula had pierced the skin.

Glen Jackson and Jarvis exchanged penalties before Lemi's second try, which arrived on the stroke of half-time and was made by replacement Chris Ashwin's determined run into the 22.

Bristol led 16-6 at the break – and when Ashwin took the tee from the misfiring Jarvis and kicked his side into a 19-6 advantage, victory looked assured.

But Turner's wrongful dismissal turned the tide, Saracens racking up 12 points while he was off the field.

Ashwin did thump a penalty between the posts to restore Bristol's lead – but the advantage lasted seconds, Jackson slamming home the winning penalty for Saracens in the closing minutes.

Bristol: V Lilo; T Arscott (M Turner 57), N Brew (C Ashwin 39), L Eves, D Lemi; A Jarvis, G Beveridge; A Clarke, M Regan (S Linklater 53), J Hobson (D Crompton 75), R Winters, N Budgett (R Sidoli 19), M Salter (R Pennycook 57), J El Abd (capt), D Ward-Smith. Rep not used: H Thomas. Scorers: Tries – Lemi (2). Pens – Jarvis (2), Ashwin (2).

Sin-binned: Turner (63-74, dangerous tackle).

Saracens: A Goode; E Thrower, A Powell (K Sorrell 77), A Farrell (capt), N Cato; G Jackson, M Rauluni; N Lloyd, M Cairns, C Visagie, T Ryder (K Chesney 64), H Vyvyan, B Skirving (D Barrell 55), A Saull, M Owen. Reps not used: A Walker, T Mercey, M Wilson, G Ross.

Scorers: Tries – Cato, Goode. Con – Jackson. Pens – Jackson (4).

Referee: G Morris (Wales). Att: 5,025.