Leicester boss Richard Cockerill was frustrated with referee Wayne Barnes after seeing Harlequins leapfrog his team at the Aviva Premiership summit thanks to a sensational score from England scrum-half Danny Care.
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Cockerill felt the Tigers were harshly penalised throughout the top-of-the-table clash, and suffered at the hands of some inconsistent officiating from Barnes.
Toby Flood registered 16 points for Leicester on his return to Premiership action, while Adam Thompstone touched down for the Tigers, but it was not enough for the visitors as Care scored a scintillating long-range effort for Quins and Ben Botica added 20 points with the boot.
Leicester were the biggest beneficiaries of England boss Stuart Lancaster wanting his RBS 6 Nations fringe players to experience game-time in the Premiership this weekend, with Flood, Manu Tuilagi and Thomas Waldrom all featuring, but it was the returning Care who stole the show for Quins.
"I thought it was a half-decent game of rugby and it was tight, but today they take the win and we take a point," Cockerill said after his side's 25-21 loss.
"We have Saracens at home next week and so it's not all lost and we now need to regroup and just carry on.
"The discipline was disappointing in the game for us. Some of that was ourselves and some was down to the officiating, which at times was disappointing.
"I thought we were getting penalised for certain things and then I thought the opposition did the same thing but they weren't."
He continued: "Yet again the officials take centre stage when we needed the referee to be a bit better.
"We'll now go through the appropriate channels where we feed back and we will decide whether it's right or wrong, but it's too late after the game.
"Yet again it's the interpretation of the breakdown and us getting penalised and Harlequins not.
"I don't mind getting penalised, but only if both teams are getting penalised for the same things."
Meanwhile, Quins boss Conor O'Shea hailed the performance of Care, calling the number nine the difference between the two sides.
"The right reaction was to come back and perform for your club. That was world class out there tonight. You're fortunate to be able to watch those types of moments," O'Shea said.
"From Stuart Lancaster's point of view, he must be thinking, 'I've got Ben Youngs and Danny Care - how lucky am I?'
"From my point of view, we love having him back. He got stuck and got physical; looking at the team we were physical we were magnificent.
"I'm always going to back my own player. Danny's outstanding. From Stuart Lancaster's point of view there are two Lions-standard scrum-halves competing.
"I think England is lucky to be in a position like that. You look underneath Danny Care and Ben Youngs, with Joe Simpson coming through - we're blessed.
"They are only 24 or 25 - that is the heartbeat of the side for a long time. Danny will get a chance hopefully soon with England, I'm sure."
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