Utrecht usurp ailing Ajax

By Berend Scholten

Second-half comeback
Utrecht claimed their fourth win in succession with a dramatic late win against RKC Waalwijk at the Galgenwaard stadium. The home side found themselves 2-0 down approaching the hour thanks to two Eddy Putter goals, but hit back with three in 23 minutes to snatch the victory and leapfrog Ajax into third. Hans van de Haar found the net twice, either side of a Hans Somers goal.

Ajax woe
Ajax lost ground on the leaders after failing to beat AZ Alkmaar at the Alkaarderhout. The home side played the last 25 minutes with ten men after substitute Kew Jaliens had been sent off only six minutes after coming on, but Ajax could not break down a resolute defence and had to settle for 0-0 and a share of the spoils.

PSV win
In contrast, PSV are experiencing little difficulty scoring. They put three past second-from-bottom Groningen. With Guus Hiddink on a scouting trip, assistant coach Fred Rutten watched as the side got off to the best of starts when Groningen's Kurt Elshot put the ball past his own goalkeeper after just five minutes. DaMarcus Beasley doubled the lead later on in the half before John de Jong completed the scoring after the interval.

Kalou double
With Ajax drawing, PSV stretched their lead at the top of the Eredivisie to three points from their new nearest rivals Feyenoord, who beat FC Den Bosch 4-2 despite going a goal down after three minutes when Brayton Biekman headed in. Romeo Castelen scored, and Salomon Kalou found the net twice either side of a Dirk Kuijt penalty, before Koen van de Laak scored a late consolation.

Reuser hat-trick
Martijn Reuser also scored from the penalty spot, twice, and added a volley en route to a hat-trick as Willem II recorded a 3-2 win against his former club SBV Vitesse Arnhem. Roda JC won by the same scoreline at FC Twente, for whom Blaise N'Kufo scored twice, as did Loïc Loval as his side, De Graafschap, also lost by the odd goal in five away against NAC Breda.

NEC win
The most comprehensive win of the weekend came at NEC Nijmegen where the home side defeated RBC Roosendaal 3-0, with all the goals coming in the opening 27 minutes. SC Heerenveen, meanwhile, had to wait until the last minute against ADO Den Haag, when substitute Giorgios Samaras snatched all three points.