Feyenoord end Utrecht's unbeaten start as PSV hit six past PEC ...

Feyenoord inflicted Utrecht’s first defeat of the season in a top-of-the-table clash to move to within three points of their opponents in fourth place.

The Rotterdammers had the better of an open contest and deservedly took the lead when third-choice striiker Julian Carranza tapped in from Hugo Bueno’s layoff.

Quinten Timber added a second when he finished a slaloming run from the left-hand side with a precisely placed shot from 20 metres, to set up an intriguing Klassieker against Ajax in midweek.

Five minutes from time Utrecht looked to have pulled a goal back through Noah Ohio’s diagonal shot, but the video replay showed Jens Toornstra received the ball in an offside position before passing to Ohio.

The result allowed PSV to stretch their lead at the top to eight points as they thrashed PEC Zwolle 6-0 to continue their perfect start to the season.

PEC were already 2-0 behind to goals by Pepi and Noa Lang when captain Younes Namli was sent off near the end of the first half for a two-footed tackle on Ismael Saibari.

The champions took full advantage in the second half with four more goals, but Pepi was denied a hat-trick when the Eredivisie’s judging panel ruled that his 71st-minute header, was diverted in off the toe of goalkeeper Jasper Schendelaar.

Ajax relied on an early penalty by Davy Klaassen to overcome Willem II in an unconvincing display in Amsterdam, but only after the VAR panel ruled that Thomas Didillon-Hödl had brought down Brian Brobbey.

A total of five own goals were scored over the weekend, an Eredivisie record. The most spectacular came from Groningen’s Leandro Bacuna, who smashed the ball into his own net four minutes from the end of a match at Fortuna Sittard that looked to be heading for a goalless draw.

It was Groningen’s fifth defeat on the bounce after a promising start to the season and leaves the northerners in 15th place, one point ahead of PEC.

Another late own goal handed Almere City their first win of the season at home to NEC, as Kornelius Hansen’s cross was diverted into the net via two defenders in the 78th minute.

The Flevoland side doubled their points total for the season and moved five clear of bottom side RKC Waalwijk, who went down 4-1 at Brabant rivals NAC Breda.

Clint Leemans scored the opening two goals for NAC, including a free-kick from the tightest of angles, before a penalty by Leo Sauer made the home fans feel like dancing on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of their city.

Twente’s thrashing of local rivals Heracles began with a surreal own goal when Mimeirhel Benita forgot to check the position of his goalkeeper before rolling an attempted backpass into an empty net. Twente added another four, including an intricate passing move rounded off by Sam Lammers in the 77th minute.

Heerenveen climbed to 12th place with a 2-0 win against Sparta, thanks to a fourth-minute header by Norwegian defender Nikolai Hopland and a clinical strike by Jacob Trenskow in the second half.

Results

Friday

Almere City 1-0 NEC Nijmegen

Saturday

Fortuna Sittard 1-0 Groningen

NAC Breda 4-1 RKC Waalwijk

PSV Eindhoven 6-0 PEC Zwolle

Sunday

Ajax 1-0 Willem II Tilburg

AZ Alkmaar L-L Go Ahead Eagles

Twente Enschede 5-0 Heracles Almelo

Utrecht 0-2 Feyenoord