Ajax overcame an early setback against NAC Breda to maintain their nine-point lead over PSV with just six matches left in the Eredivisie season.

The Amsterdammers went behind in the ninth minute in the Johan Cruyff Area when Leo Sauer cut in from the left and hit a diagonal shot past Mateus.

Kenneth Taylor equalised from the penalty spot after NAC goalkeeper Roy Kortsmit clumsily pulled down Don-Angelo Konadu, and three minutes later Steven Berghuis put Ajax ahead after Taylor created space in the penalty area.

The match was settled in the 76th minute when Taylor’s short cross was turned in at the near post by Belgian teenager Jorthy Mokio for his first Ajax goal.

PSV won by the same scoreline in Groningen, with Malik Tillman firing in the first goal from the edge of the penalty area after 11 minutes in his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury in January.

Ivan Perisic added a second with a flashing header, before Dave Kwakman put the match back in the balance before half-time with a curling shot past Walter Benitez.

Substitute Johan Bakayoko secured the points with a header in the 88th minute, after Luuk de Jong had had a goal disallowed for offside.

AZ fall back

Feyenoord kept up the pressure on PSV with a hard-fought win at AZ that more or less put paid to the Alkmaar side’s hopes of a top-three finish. The home side were sharper in front of goal, with Troy Parrott spurning three good chances, but a looping header by Zico Buurmeester over his own goalkeeper proved decisive and left AZ 10 points behind their rivals in fifth place.

Utrecht went two goals down at Go Ahead Eagles, with Finnish winger Oliver Antman playing a big role by setting up Victor Edvardsen and then Mathis Suray. But Utrecht were level by half-time as Jari de Busser misjudged Yoanne Cathline’s speculative shot, before Miguel Rodriguez tapped in from close range.

Bottom two draw

The two clubs propping up the table, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk, both drew to close the gap on free-falling Willem II to five points.

RKC were unable to find the net against Heracles, while Almere scored twice in four second-half minutes to come back from 2-0 down at PEC Zwolle, who came within centimetres of snatching all three points when Anselmo MacNulty’s late header sailed just wide.

Willem II have taken just one point from their last nine matches after going down 3-1 at Heerenveen, as goals from Ion Nicolaescu, Sam Kersten and Ilias Sebaoui secured a first win for coach Robin Veldman following the departure of Robin van Persie.

Heerenveen moved into the last European play-off spot at the expense of Fortuna Sittard, who rescued a point in Enschede with a header by Rodrigo Guth, while Sparta stayed in the hunt with a 2-0 win against NEC that lifted them above their opponents into 12th place.

Results

Friday

Heerenveen 3-1 Willem II Tilburg

Saturday

AZ Alkmaar 0-1 Feyenoord

Groningen 1-3 PSV Eindhoven

PEC Zwolle 2-2 Almere City

Twente Enschede 1-1 Fortuna Sittard

Sunday

Ajax 3-1 NAC Breda

Go Ahead Eagles 2-2 Utrecht

RKC Waalwijk 0-0 Heracles Almelo

Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 NEC Nijmegen