PSV Eindhoven have been confirmed as Eredivisie champions for the third successive season after nearest rivals Feyenoord dropped points at relegation-threatened Volendam.
The Rotterdammers, who were missing several key players including Anis Hadj-Moussa and Leo Sauer, could only manage a 0-0 draw the day after after PSV emerged winners from a seven-goal thriller in Utrecht.
The champions went 2-0 down in the first 15 minutes as Artem Stepanov and Gijvai Zechiël exploited big gaps in the centre of PSV’s defence.
Stepanov went close to heading a third, before Ismael Saibari reduced the deficit with a well-worked solo goal near the end of the first half.
The outstanding Saibari turned the scoreline around in the first 10 minutes after the break, scoring the equaliser himself and setting up Guus Til for the third.
Utrecht refused to buckle and looked to have earned a point when Jesper Karlsson found the top corner seven minutes from time, only for substitute Couhaib Driouech to score the winner with a low shot that deceived goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas in the fourth minute of injury time.
Blow for Schouten
The celebrations were muted for Jerdy Schouten, who was stretchered off with what was later confirmed as a cruciate ligament injury. The 29-year-old midfielder will have to undergo surgery, ending his hopes of playing in the World Cup this summer.
Head coach Peter Bosz and his players will be presented with the shield on Tuesday afternoon, followed by an open-top bus tour through the city.
Bosz said all three titles were special in their own way. “In the first year we won our first 17 matches, in the second year we had a dip that made it very tight until the final game,” he said.
“This year, once we got 19 points in front the tension was gone. You could see that from the way our team lost two matches in a row.”
PSV’s 27th title leaves them with nine fewer Eredivisie crowns than Ajax, but the Eindhoven side are the most successful club in the 21st century, having won the league 12 times since the 2000/01 season to nine wins by Ajax and two for Feyenoord.
NEC close gap
Elsewhere, NEC closed to within a point of Feyenoord in second place as veteran striker Bryan Linssen and Basar Önal earned them a win at Excelsior.
Twente deservedly beat Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Arena to overtake their opponents in fourth place. Bart van Rooij scored a memorable winner in the 79th minute, breaking clear from the halfway line before finishing with his left foot.
At the other end of the table, Heracles’s hopes are hanging by a slender thread after they went down 4-1 at Heerenveen to leave them five points adrift of NAC, who managed a goalless draw at home to Sparta.
Telstar remain just ahead of Excelsior on goal difference in the battle for the safe 15th place, after losing 2-0 at Groningen. Long-serving coach Anthony Correia confirmed he has held informal talks with Utrecht to take over from Ron Jans, who is retiring at the end of the season.
Go Ahead Eagles crushed PEC Zwolle in a one-sided Overijssel derby, going 3-0 up in the first 15 minutes through their Scandinavian trio of Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson, Søren Tengstedt and Victor Edvardsen. Aske Adelgaard and Mathis Suray struck in the second half to compete the rout.
Early goals by Mexx Meerinck and Sven Mijnans secured a comfortable win for AZ against Fortuna Sittard, but the biggest cheer was for Jordie Clasie, who came on as a 71st-minute substitute for his first appearance since sustaining an ankle injury six months ago.
Results
Saturday
Ajax 1-2 Twente Enschede
AZ Alkmaar 2-0 Fortuna Sittard
Excelsior 0-2 NEC Nijmegen
Groningen 2-0 Telstar
PSV Eindhoven 4-3 Utrecht
Sunday
Go Ahead Eagles 5-0 PEC Zwolle
Heerenveen 4-1 Heracles Almelo
NAC Breda 0-0 Sparta
Volendam 0-0 Feyenoord
