Aki Seiuli went over for his first try for Glasgow

Warriors had the early territory but could not make the most of a series of line-outs and they had a let-off when Marcell Coetzee went over from a similar chance for the visitors but could not get the ball grounded.

Adam Hastings opened the scoring with a 36th-minute penalty on his comeback from a shoulder injury before Ulster scored their first try 30 seconds before half-time.

Ian Madigan intercepted Jamie Dobie's pass on his way back to start a flowing move which saw James Hume and Cooney make ground down the right before setting up Lowry to use his pace and cross. Cooney added the easy conversion.

The injured Coetzee did not reappear after half-time and Hastings reduced the deficit to one with a penalty from nearly 40 metres.

Gilroy was denied just short of the line by the combined efforts of Jones and Ratu Tagive before the winger crossed moments later in the 55th minute following a penetrating move down the right. Cooney could not convert.

Warriors lost skipper Ryan Wilson to injury with James Scott coming on for his debut and Ulster got their third try seconds later as Timoney went over following a line-out maul in the 62nd minute. This time Cooney converted to extend the lead to 13.

Mathewson was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on in the 75th minute and Aki Seiuli soon made some home pressure count, with Ross Thompson kicking Glasgow within a converted try of victory. But Ulster held out to maintain their title hopes.

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Danny Wilson believes his side deserved more out of the game, ultimately ruing a few key moments in the match that went against his side.

"Whoever we play, our target is to win games so of course we're disappointed with tonight," said Wilson.

"There are a lot of positives to take out of that game, though. We came out of the blocks really well and fronted up superbly - speaking to Ulster after the game, they were surprised by how physical we were on both sides of the ball.

"Tight games come down to a couple of key moments, though, and we had a couple go against us that really hurt us. Although we played some good stuff tonight, we know that there are areas we need to be better at.

"We left a couple of opportunities out there too throughout the game, and ultimately too many moments went against us tonight.

"Our accuracy around the breakdown let us down at times.

"Both sides tonight want to throw the ball around and keep teams moving, but to do that your breakdown work has to be red-hot. Ball placement, clearing the breakdown, accuracy - we want to play, so we have to be better.

"Overall there are improvements being made, though. The last time we played Ulster, we had 40 points put on us and weren't competitive at all. Tonight we competed really well for the majority of the match and I thought we deserved more out of the game.

"We've got to take our learning points on board, because it's a trip to Leinster for us next weekend."

Wilson also hinted at more news to come ahead of the 2021/22 season, following the recent announcements of the signing of Super Rugby stars Jack Dempsey and Josh McKay.

"We've announced a couple of exciting signings this week, and there are more to come," said Wilson.

"Having come in during the height of COVID last summer, it's been about getting to know the players and identifying players we can bring in to improve our squad.

"Off of that, you identify the areas you want to bolster and make your re-signings. We're excited about the project we're building and fans should be excited for what's in store."