Ajax opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie with their seventh straight league win as Francesco Farioli’s team overpowered Heracles.

Mika Godts gave Ajax the lead in the 17th minute when he latched on to Steven Berghuis’s superb diagonal pass and rolled the ball underneath Fabian de Keijzer.

Bryan Brobbey tapped in a second just before half-time, before new signing Oliver Edvardsen scored his first for the club with a deft flick after coming on as a half-time substitute. Veteran midfielder Davy Klaassen bagged his 100th Ajax goal when he stroked home a fourth in the 66th minute.

Farioli gave debuts to 17-year-old Sean Steur and 18-year-old Rayane Bounida, a week after Belgian defender Jorthy Mokio became the fourth-youngest player to turn out for the club at the age of 16 years and 346 days.

Nearest rival PSV again dropped points and were a whisker away from defeat against Utrecht, who last won a league match at Feyenoord on January 12.

Armando Obispo put PSV ahead after 10 minutes as he rose to head in Joey Veerman’s superb corner-kick, but Mike van der Hoorn replied five minutes later when Jens Toornstra picked him out with an even better cross.

Utrecht deservedly took the lead in the 74th minute when Paxten Aaronson headed Oscar Fraulo’s inswinger back across goal. A late goal by Isaac Babadi rescued a point for PSV, although Utrecht missed a golden chance to snatch a winner when Miliano Jonathans dragged his shot narrowly wide from close range.

Feyenoord frustrated

Feyenoord remain three points behind Utrecht in fourth place as they followed up their midweek Champions League win against Milan with a goalless draw in Breda.

Igor Paixão, the matchwinner against Milan, looked to have scored a winner in the 74th minute, but was marginally offside, while NAC were denied a penalty earlier in the second half when the VAR overruled referee Dennis Higler.

Twente ended RKC Waalwijk’s revival with a 2-0 win in Enschede thanks to a first-half goal by Sam Lammers and an 18th of the season for top scorer Sem Steijn.

Almere denied

Bottom club Almere City let a 2-1 lead in Nijmegen slip through their fingers in the fourth minute of injury time when a cross flicked off the back of Vito van Crooij and looped into the net.

Almere had come back from an early goal down with a header by Ricardo Visus just before half-time and a second-half strike by Hamdi Akujobi.

A first-half goal by Jakob Breum was enough to keep Go Ahead Eagles in a strong position for a European play-off place as they took all three points against struggling Sparta.

Groningen moved up to eighth place as they scored three times in a blistering opening 21 minutes against Willem II.

Dave Kwakman smashed in a rebound after five minutes before Stijn Resink found the bottom corner with a low shot and Tika de Jonge volleyed in a third. Jesse Bosch pulled back a consolation for Willem II in the second half.

PEC Zwolle took an early lead against Heerenveen when Dylan Vente swept in from the left to round off a move that began with Dylan Mbayo’s burst through midfield. But Alireza Jahanbakhsh fired home a loose ball early in the second half to earn the Friesland club a share of the points.

Results

Friday

Go Ahead Eagles 1-0 Sparta Rotterdam

Saturday

NAC Breda 0-0 Feyenoord

PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Utrecht

Willem II Tilburg 1-3 Groningen

Sunday

Ajax 4-0 Heracles Almelo

NEC Nijmegen 2-2 Almere City

PEC Zwolle 1-1 Heerenveen

Twente Enschede 2-0 RKC Waalwijk

Postponed: AZ Alkmaar v Fortuna Sittard (February 23)