Eredivisie wrap: Vitesse deny Ajax, Twente held

27 January 2013 18:42

Ajax have lost ground in the Eredivisie title race after letting a two-goal lead slip in their 3-2 loss to Vitesse on Saturday.

With PSV moving three points clear of Ajax at the top of the table thanks to a 5-1 demolition of Heracles on Saturday, Ajax were determined to remain level with their rivals with victory at the GelreDome.

And Frank de Boer's side looked certain to do so with a first-half own goal from Guram Kashia and a 64th-minute strike from Christian Eriksen putting them two goals to the good.

However Vitesse refused to give in and were given hope when former Ajax man Theo Janssen came back to haunt his old club after 68 minutes.

The home crowd were then sent into a frenzy when Vitesse scored two goals in as many minutes thanks to on-loan Chelsea defender Patrick van Aanholt and Renato Ibarra to take the lead with just under 10 minutes to go.

Vitesse managed to hold on for the win which sees them climb into fourth place, just two points behind Ajax who remain in third but are now three points behind PSV.

Elsewhere, FC Twente could not reclaim top spot as they played out a 0-0 draw with Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Neither side could find an opening in what was an uninspiring match at the Stadion Feijenoord with Twente now one point behind PSV in second and Feyenoord dropping out of the top four.

In the day's other games, FC Utrecht boosted their European hopes thanks to a comfortable 3-1 win over bottom side Willem II while NEC overcame Groningen 2-1 at the Goffertstadion.