They served up a little gem to bring down the curtain on rugby at Welford Road for the season. They are pulling down the old stand opposite the ­Crumbie and replacing it with something with a monstrous frame that already towers over the rest of the stadium. The Tigers will have no problem filling it if they keep putting on shows like this.

Leicester got the bonus-point win they needed to take them back to the top of the Premiership with the music only a couple of bars away from stopping. And they did it all despite playing three-quarters of the game with only 14 men. Julian White landed a juicy punch on his fellow England prop, Andrew Sheridan, after the latter had landed a jab. The former was shown red. The place went mad, and when Sheridan was ­substituted late in the game only the hoardings and a few brave team-mates stood between him and a fight with any of the thousands goading him in the Crumbie Stand who cared to take him on. It was high drama, and should we be ashamed for so ­thoroughly enjoying it?

And then there was what happened on the scoreboard. The first quarter had promised so much in the way of light-hearted fun – if the sight of the 17st ­Alesana Tuilagi running at and through the somewhat lighter Oriol Ripol can qualify as frivolous. That was how the mighty Samoan notched up Leicester's first, but Mark Cueto replied for Sale with a try that owed more to subtlety and pace. Then Scott Hamilton went over for a 17-10 lead to Leicester at the end of the first quarter. It was fun stuff.

Then it all turned a bit sour with that red card for White in the 23rd minute. An attacking Sale scrum broke up with Sheridan and White disagreeing. Toe to toe they were – Sheridan jabbed at White and looked as if he'd connected and White swung more violently at Sheridan and definitely did. It was honest, if vigorous (and shouldn't happen, etc, etc), but the red card that Wayne Barnes was persuaded by his touch judge to brandish at White seemed too much. The game was now compromised.

Leicester still managed to dominate, though, with Hamilton cut down just short after a Geordan Murphy break. But it was Sale who finished the half with the game's fourth try – Cueto again, this time squeezing into the corner after Mathew Tait's half-break. Hodgson's missed conversion had the visitors trailing by two but leading the head count by one.

You wouldn't have noticed that Leicester were a man down, though, so evenly did the contest play itself out after the break. And so the lead changed hands throughout the third quarter. Neil Briggs's try gave Sale the lead for the second time in the 49th minute, but a blinder finished off by Dan Hipkiss levelled the scores before Hamilton collected Flood's neat chip for his second and the Tigers' bonus-point fourth try. Indeed, it was Leicester who dominated the final quarter, even if Sale's offloading and pace delighted at times. Sam Vesty rounded a fine individual contribution with Leicester's fifth try before Hodgson secured Sale a well-deserved bonus point with a penalty at the death.