Van Persie given guard of honour after going off in final Feyenoord game
Sunday 12 May 2019 23:04, UK
Ajax took a giant step towards the Eredivisie title on Sunday with a 4-1 win against FC Utrecht.
Victory for Erik Ten Hag's side, who were stunned in the Champions League semi-finals by Tottenham in midweek, combined with a 1-0 defeat for nearest rivals PSV Eindhoven at AZ Alkmaar, saw Ajax open up a three-point gap at the top of the table, with only one match remaining.
Ajax also have a plus-14 superior goal difference to PSV, with the final round of matches taking place on Wednesday.
Ajax did it the hard way, falling behind inside one minute to Othman Boussaid's goal. However, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Donny Van De Beek replied for the hosts to turn the game on its head before half-time.
A second-half double from Dusan Tadic, his second goal coming from the penalty spot, sealed what looks to be a priceless victory after Guus Til's 49th-minute strike for AZ was enough to defeat PSV.
Robin van Persie ended his career at Feyenoord in Rotterdam but there was no fairytale finish as they were surprisingly beaten 2-0 at home by ADO Den Haag.
The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker did hit the woodwork with a first-half effort before going off to a massive ovation in stoppage time.
The 35-year-old, who made his debut for Feyenoord as a 17-year-old, scored 50 goals in 102 appearances for the Netherlands.
NAC Breda were relegated after losing 2-1 at Heerenveen. Menno Koch's equalising goal cancelled out Sam Lammers' opener for the hosts but Heerenveen snatched victory in added time through Mitchell Van Bergen's effort.
De Graafschap will join Excelsior in the relegation play-offs.
