PSV stretched their lead in the Eredivisie to 11 points as they came back in the second half to win at Utrecht while closest challengers Feyenoord only managed a draw with Twente.

Utrecht started stronger and deservedly took the lead when Mike van der Hoorn headed in after half an hour, but Ricardo Pepi equalised soon after half-time when he steered in a cross from Sergino Dest.

Vasilios Barkas produced good saves to deny Guus Til twice as PSV pressed for a winner, but the goalkeeper was powerless to stop Ivan Perisic steaming in at the near post to head in Joey Veerman’s corner.

No team has ever failed to win the title after reaching the halfway point with such a big lead. Ajax were 15 points ahead in the 1997/98 season, while PSV have been at least 11 points ahead on three previous occasions when they became champions.

NEC test Ajax

Feyenoord went behind at home to Twente as Daan Rots scored with a low shot into the far corner, and it could have been worse if Sam Lammers had found the net with either of two good chances in the first half.

Gonçalo Borges replied with a brilliant first-time shot from a narrow angle with 15 minutes to play, but Feyenoord were reduced to 10 men almost immediately when Luciano Valente was shown a second yellow card and it was the visitors who looked likelier to find a winner.

Ajax go into the winter break in third place, one point ahead of NEC, after the two clubs emerged all square from an eventful match in Nijmegen.

Bryan Linssen gave NEC an early lead with a tap-in that the VAR ruled had just crossed the line before Vitezslav Jaros could punch it out, but Kasper Dolberg and Mika Godts turned the match around in six minutes at the end of the first half.

Sami Ouaissa brought NEC level again within a minute of the restart when he cut in from the right and curled a shot inside the left-hand post.

But the goalscorer was shown a red card for stamping on Davy Klaassen, leaving his 10 team-mates to fight a rearguard action for the last half-hour to secure a point.

AZ penalty jinx

Groningen stay two points behind NEC in fifth place after drawing at cup holders Go Ahead Eagles. Mathis Suray gave the home side the lead in the first half when Milan Smit’s cross found him unmarked in front of goal, but Tika de Jonge rounded off a neat move with a flashing shot from the edge of the area to equalise.

AZ missed another penalty as they lost a see-saw encounter at Fortuna Sittard by the odd goal in seven.

AZ turned around a 1-0 deficit in the first 20 minutes as Alexandre Penetra’s pass bisected the defence and found Sven Mijnans in acres of space to finish calmly. But Fortuna equalised just before half-time when Kaj Sierhuis poked home after Mo Ihattaren’s brilliant short pass gave Ryan Fosso space to cross from the left.

The penalty was awarded shortly after the break but Mijnans, who was handed the ball by Troy Parrott after the Irishman missed his last three spot-kicks, saw his effort saved by Mattijs Branderhorst.

Sierhuis bagged his second shortly afterwards with a well-placed shot, and although AZ struck back with 20 minute to play when Mees de Wit bundled in a Parrott rebound, it was Fortuna who had the last word when Philip Brittijn tapped in a teasing Ihattaren corner.

Telstar move up

Telstar, who started the weekend in last place, moved up three places as a late goal by Patrick Brouwer was enough to beat fellow strugglers NAC, who replace them at the foot of the table.

Brouwer dragged a shot narrowly wide when he was put clear 20 minutes from the end, but eight minutes later the striker redeemed himself when he bundled the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble just before he was substituted.

Heracles, without their injured top scorer Jizz Hornkamp, went down 3-0 at home to Heerenveen to drop to second bottom.

The Frisians, who knocked Feyenoord out of the cup in midweek, dominated the first half but Dylan Vente and Luuk Brouwers were both denied by hairline offside decisions.

Jacob Trenskow smashed in the opener 10 minutes into the second half before Vasilios Zagaritis and Maxence Rivera, with a retaken penalty, completed a comfortable victory.

Naujoks strikes again

Noah Naujoks headed in his fifth goal in four matches to give Excelsior the lead against PEC Zwolle, before New Zealander Ryan Thomas celebrated his 31st birthday with his first goal in four years to equalise straight after half-time.

But Excelsior had the last word when Irakli Yegoiyan broke away down the right-hand side and twisted past a defender before firing low past Tom de Graaff.

Volendam stay in the drop zone after going 1-0 down at home to Sparta. Gibson Yah was penalised for clattering into Sparta’s Shunsuke Mito in front of goal and Tobias Lauritsen made no mistake from the spot.

Results

Saturday

Excelsior 2-1 PEC Zwolle

Heracles Almelo 0-3 Heerenveen

NAC Breda 0-1 Telstar

NEC Nijmegen 2-2 Ajax

Sunday

Feyenoord 1-1 Twente Enschede

Fortuna Sittard 4-3 AZ Alkmaar

Go Ahead Eagles 1-1 Groningen

Utrecht 1-2 PSV Eindhoven

Volendam 0-1 Sparta Rotterdam