PSV Eindhoven return to the top of the Eredivisie

PSV Eindhoven returned to the top of the Eredivisie table with a 4-2 victory at AZ Alkmaar.

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The result gives PSV a one-point lead over Ajax at the summit, at least until the Amsterdam outfit host Zwolle on Sunday in their game in hand.

The nature of PSV's win looked set to be by a far greater margin after storming into a 4-0 lead by the 65th minute through goals from Gaston Pereiro, Marco van Ginkel (two) and Luciano Narsingh.

However, Job van der Linden scored for Alkmaar in the 81st minute and Muamer Tankovic added another three minutes later to further reduce PSV's lead. Alkmaar remain fourth.

In-form Feyenoord strengthened their grip on third place with a 3-0 home defeat of relegation-threatened Excelsior.

Dirk Kuyt scored in each half, either side of Eljero Elia's 33rd-minute goal, to secure the three points. A fifth successive win leaves Feyenoord five points ahead of AZ, but still 16 behind Ajax.

Excelsior remain in the bottom three on goal difference, but only because Willem II also lost, surrendering a 2-0 lead to go down 3-2 at home to Twente.

Willem led after Erik Falkenburg's first-minute goal and Lucas Andersen added a second, but two goals from Hakim Ziyech and another from Chinedu Ede, all in the second half, sealed Twente's comeback.

Fifth-placed Utrecht drew 1-1 at Heracles Almelo to remain in contention for third place and a point ahead of their sixth-placed hosts. Jaroslav Navratil scored in the 55th minute for the home side, shortly before Andrea Ludwig's 58th-minute equaliser.

De Graafschap and Cambuur Leeuwarden, meanwhile, edged closer to relegation after they drew 2-2.

De Graafschap led through Vincent Vermeij but required Ted van de Pavert's 75th-minute equaliser to claim a point after the visitors had scored through Calvin MacIntosh and Kevin van Veen.