De Jong volley saves PSV's perfect record, Utrecht edge past RKC ...

October 6, 2024 Luuk de Jong sticks out a boot to score the winner for PSV against Sparta. Photo: ANP/Tobias Kleuver

PSV held on to their 100% record by the skin of their teeth as a spirited Sparta side were denied a late equaliser by the linesman’s flag.

The league leaders went behind after 10 minutes when Tobias Lauritsen rounded off a fine passing move that began in Sparta’s own penalty area.

PSV needed a stroke of luck for the equaliser when Oliver Boscagli’s speculative shot took a wicked deflection off the back of Arno Verscheuren.

But there was nothing fortunate about the goal that turned out to be the winner after 36 minutes, as Luuk de Jong volleyed in Boscagli’s cross with the outside of his right boot.

PSV played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Matteo Dams was dismissed for pulling back Camiel Neghli.

Sparta looked to have snatched a point in the seventh minute of injury time when Mike Eerdhuijzen broke clear and slipped the ball under Walter Benitez, but the video referee confirmed he was offside when he received the pass.

RKC equal record

Utrecht stay second after taking all three points from a scrappy encounter with RKC, who notched up their eighth successive defeat to equal the worst ever start to an Eredivisie season.

RKC took an early lead through Denilho Cleonise, but lost Aaron Meijers in the 26th minute for a clumsy challenge and conceded three goals in the next 20 minutes, before Richonell Margaret scored a late penalty to set up a nailbiting finale.

Feyenoord followed up their Champions League win in Girona with a win against Twente that took them to within a point of their fourth-placed opponents.

Ayase Ueda headed in a floating cross by Hugo Bueno before Hwang In-boem punished a misjudged clearance by Lars Unnestall by lashing the ball past the German goalkeeper. Twente’s Sem Steijn notched his seventh of the season in the 79th minute.

Weghorst first

Wout Weghorst scored his first goal for Ajax, a trademark close-range header in the 91st minute, to deny Groningen a point in Amsterdam. The striker still had time to set up a third for Chuba Akpom just before the final whistle, after Jorg Schreuders had equalised early in the second half for Groningen.

Heracles took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break against Go Ahead Eagles after Luka Kulenovic found the net with a donward header. But the Deventer club replied with four goals in the second half, including late strikes by Victor Edvardsen and Finn Stokkers.

PEC Zwolle took just three minutes to get off the mark against Heerenveen when Davy van den Berg profited from good work by Dylan Mbayo. Dimitris Rallis tucked away a precise pass by Jacob Trenskow to equalise just seven minutes later, but neither side could find the net again.

Dominik Janosek’s free-kick for NAC settled a bad-tempered contest against NEC that was briefly stopped after a coin was thrown from the crowd, while Willem II won by the same score against Almere City to extend the Flevoland club’s winless streak in the league to 20 matches.

Results

Friday

Almere City 0-1 Willem II Tilburg

Saturday

PSV 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam

Utrecht 3-2 RKC Waalwijk

Sunday

Ajax 3-1 Groningen

Feyenoord 2-1 Twente Enschede

Fortuna Sittard L-L AZ Alkmaar

Go Ahead Eagles 4-1 Heracles Almelo

Heerenveen 1-1 PEC Zwolle