Jan Vertonghen scored twice for the Amsterdammers either side of a Siem De Jong effort as Ajax kept within striking distance of Twente, who beat Sparta Rotterdam 3-0 on Saturday with Bryan Ruiz scoring a hat-trick. Ajax remain a point ahead of third-placed PSV Eindhoven, who were 4-2 winners at VVV-Venlo. Goals from Otman Bakkal, Balazs Dzsudzsak and Danny Koevermans saw the visitors establish a 3-0 lead before Ruben Schaken pulled one back for the struggling hosts. Bakkal's second of the afternoon made it 4-1 before Ruud Boymans netted a consolation for VVV with 12 minutes to go. Fourth-placed Feyenoord were held to a goalless draw at NEC Nijmegen while goals from Dries Mertens and Michael Silberbauer enabled FC Utrecht to inflict a 25th league defeat of the season on rock-bottom RKC Waalwijk.
