PSV Eindhoven began the second half of the season by hitting five goals past Excelsior to extend their lead at the top of the Eredivisie to 13 points.

Peter Bosz’s side were 4-0 up after just 39 minutes, with defenders Yarek Gasiorowski and Ryan Flamingo among the scorers.

But an injury to Ricardo Pepi, who broke his forearm while bundling in the second goal, put a dampener on the celebrations as Bosz revealed he would be out of the team for two months.

Second-placed Feyenoord looked to be heading for a narrow win at Heerenveen, only for the Frisian side to bag a late equaliser.

Leo Sauer put Feyenoord ahead when he took advantage of a gaping hole in Heerenveen’s defence, but Feyenoord were similarly carved open by Ringo Meerveld and Luuk Brouwers just before half-time, with Brouwers applying the finishing touch.

Sem Steijn restored Feyenoord’s advantage when goalkeeper Nordin Bakker misjudged a cross by Jordan Bos, allowing the midfielder to head into an empty net. But four minutes from time substitute Amourrichio van Axel-Dongen volleyed in from a corner with his first touch of the ball.

Ajax move closer

Ajax are now just three points behind Feyenoord after they emerged from a nerve-shredding encounter at Telstar with all three points.

Telstar played almost the entire second half with 10 men after loan signing Cedric Hatenboer marked his debut with a red card for stamping on Youri Vergeer.

Ajax were 2-0 up at that point and added a third when Youri Baas headed in a corner in the 72nd minute, but Baas sliced the ball into his own net before Danny Bakker headed Telstar’s second from a corner to leave Ajax hanging on for the last six minutes.

AZ gave a debut to €4.5 million winter signing Jizz Hornkamp, but it was Sven Mijnans’s early goal, poking home a rebound from his own shot, that gave them their first win in six matches against Volendam.

Sparta sent Heracles to the foot of the table with a 2-0 win that could have been more emphatic had the Rotterdam club been more clinical in front of goal.

Tobias Lauritsen opened the scoring when Shunsuke Mito found him unmarked on the edge of the six-yard area, but it took until the 88th minute for Sparta to make the points safe when Pelle Clement found the net with a neat finish.

Drama in Deventer

Go Ahead Eagles and Fortuna Sittard shared the points as both sides scored late goals in Deventer. Kristoffer Peterson struck first for Fortuna when his looping shot caught out Jari de Busser, but the Eagles levelled just before half-time as Mathis Suray finished off an intricate move.

The Belgian looked to have turned the match around when he glanced in a header in the 86th minute to put the Eagles in front, but there was still time for Alen Halilovic to show his class with a searching long pass for Justin

Twente Enschede’s new director of football Erik ten Hag had plenty to chew on as he watched his side squander a bunch of chances in a 1-1 draw with PEC Zwolle.

PEC threatened to compound Twente’s misery when Shola Shoretire headed in from a long throw in the 66th minute, but Mats Rots picked out his brother Daan four minutes from time to salvage a point.

NAC introduced their new signing, 36-year-old André Ayew, against Groningen, but the Ghanaian veteran of three World Cups was unable to prevent the match ending in a goalless draw.

NEC Nijmegen’s home match against Utrecht on Friday evening was postponed because of the winter weather.

Saturday

AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Volendam

Groningen 0-0 NAC Breda

PSV Eindhoven 5-1 Excelsior

Twente Enschede 1-1 PEC Zwolle

Sunday

Go Ahead Eagles 2-2 Fortuna Sittard

Heerenveen 2-2 Feyenoord

Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 Heracles Almelo

Telstar 2-3 Ajax

Postponed: NEC Nijmegen v Utrecht