Ajax twice came from behind to inflict PSV Eindhoven’s first defeat of the season and breathe new life into the Eredivisie title race.

The 3-2 win in Amsterdam leaves Francesco Farioli’s side five points behind the league leaders with a game in hand, against Utrecht in early December.

Ajax took the game to PSV from the kick-off, but went behind in the 18th minute when Luuk de Jong slipped his marker to head in from a corner.

Davy Klaassen equalised just before half-time when he met Jorrel Hato’s precise cross with a header that Walter Benitez could only palm into the net.

Veteran midfielder Ivan Perisic restored PSV’s lead 10 minutes into the second half, before Kian Fitz-Jim, standing in for the unfit Kenneth Taylor, capped an outstanding performance by smashing in a rebound.

The winner came from a blunder in the PSV defence when Malik Tillman misplaced a pass in front of his own goal, allowing Mika Godts to slot into an unguarded net.

Bosz: deserved defeat

PSV coach Peter Bosz accepted his team deserved to lose after a “terrible” first half.

“In the second half we were more composed on the ball and our pressing was better,” he said. “We were the superior team, we got to 2-1 and should have made it 3-1, but didn’t, and then we gave away two goals.”

Utrecht are also five points off the lead with a game to spare after a 4-1 win at Sparta, who sacked their coach Jeroen Rijsdijk on Friday.

Former Ajax manager Maurice Steijn took charge of the Rotterdam club, but was unable to save them from a heavy home defeat. Utrecht held a 1-0 lead until the 85th minute thanks to Victor Jensen’s first goal of the season, before adding another three while Tobias Lauritsen converted a penalty for Sparta.

Feyenoord recovered from their midweek defeat by Ajax to edge out AZ in a tight contest in Alkmaar. Troy Parrott gave the home side the lead just before half-time, but Feyenoord turned the tables in the space of two second-half minutes when an own goal by David Møller Wolfe was followed by Luka Ivanusec’s calm finish.

First RKC win

Bottom club RKC booked their first win of the season at the 11th attempt in a basement battle with Almere City to move within two points of their opponents.

Midfielder Richard van der Venne, making his first appearance after a two-month injury absence, scored with a left-footed shot in the 41st minute, before Silvester van der Water settled the match with a scything volley in the second half.

Groningen’s woes deepened as they slumped to a 6-0 defeat in Nijmegen. Koki Ogawa scored the first two goals, starting with a penalty after Vito van Crooij was floored in the fifth minute.

Van Crooij set up the next two goals before scoring the fourth, while Thomas Ouwejan completed the scoring from the penalty spot after Van Crooij’s replacement, Sami Ouaissa, had added a fifth.

Lammers on target

Twente managed a 1-0 win at Willem II despite the absence of the league’s top scorer, Sam Steijn, as Sam Lammers scored against his old club in the 58th minute.

Two goals by Loreintz Rosier set Fortuna Sittard on their way to a 3-0 win against Heerenveen to lift them up to seventh place, while Go Ahead Eagles are two points behind them after sharing the points in the IJsselderby against PEC Zwolle.

Brian De Keersmaecker scored both goals in Heracles’ home win against NAC, including a speculative floating effort in the second half, under the watchful eye of Erik ten Hag, fresh from his dismissal by Manchester United.

Results

Saturday

Ajax 3-2 PSV Eindhoven

Feyenoord 3-2 AZ Alkmaar

Fortuna Sittard 3-0 Heerenveen

Heracles Almelo 2-0 NAC Breda

Willem II Tilburg 0-1 Twente Enschede

Sunday

Go Ahead Eagles 2-2 PEC Zwolle

NEC Nijmegen 6-0 Groningen

RKC Waalwijk 2-0 Almere City

Sparta Rotterdam 1-4 Utrecht