Penrith have won nine straight NRL games for the first time after they overcame the gritty Warriors 18-12.

In miserable conditions in Gosford on Friday evening, the Warriors were valiant as the Panthers charged back to the top of the ladder in the midst of a milestone-making season.

On what should have been a special night to celebrate club history, the match was soured by reports of racial abuse directed at Penrith winger Brent Naden.

A group of about eight men in their early 20s were evicted from the ground by police towards the end of the first half after Naden reported the abuse to the Panthers trainer.

The NRL is expected to come down swiftly on the group given their faces were captured by broadcast cameras while being ejected from the ground.

On the field, Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary carried on with his supreme form and set up the first try of the night with a floating ball out to Naden 10 minutes in.

Two more tries to Api Koroisau and Dylan Edwards gave the Panthers a 16-0 lead just before halftime when the Warriors finally struck back through Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

Despite the streaming rain, halfback Chanel Harris-Tevita showed his class with a slick kick for the skipper to collect and score under the posts to narrow the deficit to 10 at the break.

Skint on possession, the Warriors had absorbed immense pressure with six forced dropouts in the first half and clawed their way back into the match on sheer grit in the final 40 minutes.

Panthers’ only points in the second half came through a penalty goal from Cleary as the Warriors turned the screws on the competition leaders.

Showing incredible patience, Kodi Nikorima steered the home side around the park and set up their second try, spotting space for Peta Hiku to tap a pass out to Patrick Herbert to score.

The looked likely until the final minute but the Panthers held on.

After two straight wins, the Warriors again made a decent account of themselves in defeat but remain 11th on the ladder with six games to play.

Remarkably, the Panthers now have not conceded a point in the first 20 minutes for their past 13 games.

It’s the longest streak in the NRL since records were kept in 1980.

The Panthers will now play Cronulla at Penrith on Friday, while the Warriors will face Canterbury at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.