PSV Eindhoven have opened up a six-point gap at the top of the Eredivisie after Feyenoord let a 2-1 lead slip at home to NEC Nijmegen.

NEC went in front against the run of play when Bryan Linssen turned in a cross by Tjaronn Cherry in the 37th minute, after Anis Hadj Moussa had wasted several good chances for the hosts.

Leo Sauer levelled the scores with a flying downward header on the stroke of half-time and the danger seemed to have passed when Bart Nieuwkoop flicked in a fine through ball by Hadj Moussa after 55 minutes.

Dirk Proper was denied an equaliser by the linesman’s flag as NEC pressed, but in the 69th minute Noe Lebreton headed in, before substitute Kento Shiogai struck twice with another header and a lob from the edge of the centre circle to claim all three points for the visitors.

Kovar shutout

PSV edged past NAC Breda with a goal in the first half by Guus Til, but the champions owed their victory to an outstanding performance in goal by Matej Kovár.

“We weren’t good, especially in possession, and NAC did a great job,” coach Peter Bosz said afterwards. “If you give the ball away as quickly as we did you can’t settle into your own game.”

NEC’s win lifted them above Ajax, who dropped to sixth place as Fred Grim’s first match in charge ended in a 2-1 home defeat to Excelsior.

Noah Naujoks drifted through a gap in the defence for the first goal near the end of the first half and pounced on a poor defensive header to score again straight after the interval.

“We lacked confidence”

Kasper Dolberg pulled a goal back for Ajax within minutes of coming on as a substitute for Wout Weghorst, but Excelsior were not to be denied their first ever win in Amsterdam.

“You could see we were lacking in confidence,” said Grim, who will remain in post at least until the winter break while the club aims to appoint. a new technical director.

Utrecht missed the chance to leapfrog NEC as they needed an injury-time equaliser to avoid defeat against bottom club Telstar.

Soufiane Hetli put the home side in front early in the second half when his shot from the edge of the area was deflected past Vasilis Barkas, but a long-range strike by Can Bozdogan denied Telstar their third win of the season.

Heracles move up

Heracles moved off the bottom after coming back from 2-1 down at half-time to beat Go Ahead Eagles 4-2 in Almelo.

Damon Mirani scored the opening goal and an equaliser early in the second half, after Mathis Suray and Milan Smit had capitalised on some slack defending to turn the match around in four minutes before the break.

Jizz Hornkamp put Heracles back in front from a corner in the 54th minute, before Luka Kulenovic made sure of the points in injury time.

Groningen and PEC Zwolle shared the points in a snowbound encounter in the Euroborg. Thijs Oosting, on loan from Groningen, gave PEC the lead after 10 minutes, but Thom van Bergen levelled with a shot on the turn before half-time.

Sherel Floranus, fresh from celebrating World Cup qualification from Curaçao, put PEC back in front from close range, but the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Anselmo Garcia MacNulty was shown his second yellow card for hauling down Brynjolfur Willumsson.

Groningen poured forward as the snow came down and got their reward when Van Bergen headed in the orange ball in the 90th minute.

Parrott grounded

Heerenveen dominated the first half of their match against AZ Alkmaar, scoring twice in two minutes as Dylan Vente and Joris van Overeem finished off well-worked moves. Jacob Trenskow was denied a spectacular third by the crossbar.

Troy Parrott gave AZ hope with 15 minutes left when he squeezed a shot inside the left-hand post, but a Luuk Brouwers curler into the top corner four minutes later restored Heerenveen’s two-goal margin.

A late header by substitute Robert Mühren earned Volendam a draw at home to Twente, who went ahead through Daan Rots 29 seconds into the second half. The visitors missed a glorious chance to snatch a winner when Sam Lammers dragged a shot wide right in front of goal.

The mid-table clash between Sparta and Fortuna Sittard ended all square, with Josuha Kitolano heading the home side in front in the first half before Kaj Sierhuis replied from a corner after the break.

Results

Saturday

Ajax 1-2 Excelsior

Heracles 4-2 Go Ahead Eagles

NAC Breda 0-1 PSV Eindhoven

Sparta Rotterdam 1-1 Fortuna Sittard

Volendam 1-1 Twente Enschede

Sunday

Feyenoord 2-4 NEC Nijmegen

Groningen 2-2 PEC Zwolle

Heerenveen 3-1 AZ Alkmaar

Telstar 1-1 Utrecht