Ajax beat Feyenoord in the Klassieker with a disciplined display to close to within five points of their rivals as interim coach Fred Grim continued to stabilise the ship.

Davy Klaassen opened the scoring after 13 minutes with a fierce diagonal shot from outside the penalty area as Ajax were content to let Feyenoord control possession and hit them on the counter.

Top scorer Ayase Ueda had the best chance to equalise early in the second half when the impressive Luciano Valente released him with a brilliant pass from the left flank, but the Japanese striker dragged his shot wide.

Ajax overtook NEC Nijmegen and closed the gap on second-placed Feyenoord to five points. The Rotterdam club’s boss Robin van Persie is the man under pressure after a string of poor results at home and in Europe, including the midweek capitulation to Steaua Bucharest.

Van Persie insisted after the latest defeat in Amsterdam that he was unconcerned about the speculation about his position ahead of Wednesday night’s cup tie against Herenveen in De Kuip.

“It honestly doesn’t interest me in the slightest,” he said. “That’s my strength. What I’m disappointed about is that we couldn’t give the supporters a good day.”

PSV wobble

PSV stretched their lead at the top to nine points with a far from resolute 4-3 win over struggling Heracles, in a game that featured three penalties in the first half.

Ricardo Pepi and Ismael Saibari scored from the spot for the champions before Jizz Hornkamp replied for Heracles just before the stroke of half-tiime.

Substitute Luka Kulenovic made an instant impact in the 60th minute as he turned in a cross from another replacement, Mario Engels, to equalise for Heracles.

Joey Veerman restored PSV’s lead with a shot that Timo Jansink spilled into the net, but Hornkamp squared the scores again with his seventh goal in six matches, before Guus Til popped up in the penalty area to poke home the winner for PSV.

NEC slipped back as they could only manage a draw at bottom club Telstar, who twice went ahead through left-back Jeff Hardeveld.

NEC missed a penalty when Soufiane Hetli had his spot-kick saved by Gonzalo Crettaz, but the in-form Kento Shiogai rescued a point with a close-range strike in the 77th minute.

Twente in form

Groningen stay fifth after beating Volendam 3-0 for their first win in the Euroborg stadium since September, helped by an early red card for Volendam defender Mawouna Amevor. Captain Stije Resink scored twice, including a late penalty, with Brynjólfur Willumsson finding the net in between.

Twente extended their unbeaten run to seven matches with a 2-0 win against Go Ahead Eagles, with Sam Lammers bagging both goals as he continued his good form since recovering from an ankle injury in October.

NAC Breda stay a point above Telstar at the bottom after a home draw against Utrecht. Raul Paula put the home side ahead from a corner in the first half, but six minutes later makeshift striker Dani de Wit replied for Utrecht, who have drawn their last four matches.

Heerenveen won 3-0 at Sparta to overtake their opponents on goal difference in ninth place, while Koen Kostons’ early goal was enough for PEC Zwolle to grind out a win against Fortuna Sittard.

Results

Saturday

Groningen 3-0 Volendam

NEC Nijmegen 2-2 Telstarr

PSV Eindhoven 4-3 Heracles

PEC Zwolle 1-0 Fortuna Sittard

Sunday

Ajax 2-0 Feyenoord

NAC Breda 1-1 Utrecht

Sparta 0-3 Heerenveen

Twente Enschede 2-0 Go Ahead Eagles

Postponed: AZ Alkmaar v Excelsior