The big news coming out of Holland's premier division this week is of course the departure of the (now former) Ajax manager Martin Jol. The ex-Spurs boss’ last game in charge of the Amsterdam club was not a happy one as the side lost out in a weekend where the rest of the title contenders really showed their determination to win this season's Eredivisie.
A lack-lustre performance, in front of their own fans, against mid-table NEC saw Ajax only manage a point in Martin Jol’s last game as manager, the game ending 1-1.
There was a cagey start to the game with no clear-cut chances until the half hour mark when Lasse Schone's free kick needed to be punched clear by Dutch number one Maarten Stekelenburg. However this was one of very few chances the visitors had with their hosts having the rest of the opportunities leading up to the break.
Much of the same followed in the second half with Ajax unable to capitalise on their dominance, which included a speculative Miralem Sulejmani shot that smashed against the woodwork. It wasn't until the 76th minute that Egyptian talisman Mido managed to break the deadlock for Jol's side, and looked to have grabbed all three points with the minimal threat NEC had been posing for the majority of the game. But only two minutes later the away side took advantage of some poor Ajax defending and scored through defender Bram Nuytinck, levelling the game and earning a point for the Nijmegen based club.
In the Friday night game Groningen moved back up to third with a comfortable 4-1 win over struggling Vitesse, and subsequently stayed there after Ajax could only muster a point on Saturday.
It was a frustrating first half for Pieter Huistra's side who put on a dominant display but had nothing to show for it as the sides went in level at half time. The second half on the other hand was a very different story. In the 53rd minute Groningen took a well deserved lead when midfielder Tadic was brought down in the box, and Granqvist easily converted the resulting penalty.
The home side continued to control the game and doubled their lead through the ever impressive Tim Matavž who grabbed his eighth goal this term, and four minutes later Andersson made it three and effectively wrapped up the points for his side. Vitesse managed to pull one back through Pedersen eleven minutes from time, but Tim Sparv quickly quashed even the slimmest hopes of a comeback by netting the host's fourth to make it 4-1 and that's how it finished.
PSV remain top after treating their fans to yet another goal fest, beating Heracles 5-2 and taking their goal tally to 50 for the season. It wasn't an easy game for the league leaders by any means, as they fell behind after 27 minutes to a goal from Everton Ramos da Silva. But they eventually went in 2-1 up at half time after Dzsudzsak and Toivonen scored two in the space of five minutes.
In the 62nd minute both Everton and Heracles showed they were not just there to make up numbers and levelled the game once again. Although it seemed Heracles ran out of steam with sixteen minutes left as a second Toivonen goal and goals from Affelay and Marcus Berg secured a deceivingly comfortable win for PSV.
Twente kept themselves level on points at the top by beating Graafschap 2-0 in Enschede. It was midfielder Theo Janssen who stole the show scoring two magnificent free kicks to settle the affair that had otherwise been a pretty evenly matched game. So Twente remain in second on goal difference and are now four points clear of third placed Groningen.
When Sunday came AZ were the only team in the big five left to play, and managed to get themselves an impressive 2-0 away win over Europa League chasing ADO Den Haag. Alkmaar managed to grab goals just before and just after half time, with a coolly taken penalty from Rasmus Elm and a good finish from Maarten Martens. The win takes AZ level on points with Ajax.
Feyenoord and Willem II's disappointing seasons continued after a point-a-piece at the Willem II stadion, where their game ended 1-1. The visitors managed to take the lead in the 37th minute when Kelvin Leerdam's strike found the back of the net, and until very late on it looked like that would be enough to earn the former champions a much-needed three points. But an 84th minute own goal by substitute Ricky van Haaren broke Feyenoord hearts and meant both sides left with just a point.
The other game on Sunday saw Utrecht take on Heerenveen, two sides in and around the Europa League play-offs, where a 2-1 win for Utrecht saw them go above their visitors in the table. However they had to come from behind when Roy Beerens converted a spot kick to put his side ahead. A 34th minute goal from Dries Mertens and a very late winner from Jay Wuytens earned Utrecht all three points.