Ajax moved to within three points of leaders Twente after an emphatic 5-1 win over nine-man Feyenoord.
Victories for Ajax, Heracles, Willem II and Sparta
Ajax moved to within three points of leaders Twente after an emphatic 5-1 win over nine-man Feyenoord.
The Amsterdam giants saw leaders Twente and second-placed PSV Eindhoven secure victory on Saturday, so they needed a win to maintain contact and that is what they got as they brushed fourth-placed Feyenoord aside.
Ajax did not open the scoring until just before half-time when Demy De Zeeuw scored, and just moments later Stefan Babovic was dismissed for Feyenoord.
Urby Emanuelson and Gregory Van Der Wiel extended their lead after the break before Denny Landzaat pulled one back for the visitors.
But Ajax were soon back on the scoring trail as De Zeeuw grabbed his second and Luis Suarez wrapped up the scoring from the penalty spot - in an incident which also saw goalkeeper Rob van Dijk sent off.
Feyenoord remain in fourth despite the horrendous result in Amsterdam as
Utrecht missed the chance to leap-frog them following a 3-1 loss at
Heracles - which takes them into sixth.
Utrecht had gone ahead through Dane Michael Silberbauer after just 15 minutes, but the home side battled back and were 2-1 up at the interval thanks to Willy Overtoom and Everton.
Darl Douglas struck just after the break to secure the win for the Almelo outfit.
Sparta Rotterdam are into ninth after a 2-0 win over
NEC Nijmegen.
Goals in either half from Erik Falkenburg and a Ramon Zomer own goal secured the win for Sparta.
RKC Waalwijjk's woeful season continues as they remain seven points adrift at the bottom as they lost 1-0 at home to Willem II.
The only goal of the game arrived from Christophe Gregoire on the hour.
