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  • Monday, 9 November 2009

    Top two forge ahead: Eredivisie reviews

    Groningen 4-1 Heracles
    Vitesse 2-0 VVV Venlo
    Sparta 1-2 Roda
    NEC 0-1 Waalwijk
    NAC 4-0 Willem II
    Den Haag 1-5 PSV
    AZ 1-1 Feyenoord
    Utrecht 2-3 Heerenveen
    Twente 1-0 Ajax

    PSV and Twente have opened up a bit of a gap back to the rest after both won at the weekend. The Eindhoveners went top for all of two hours on Sunday after an Ola Toivonen-inspired demolition job on Den Haag. The 23-year old Swede struck four times past ADO who finished with nine men in a game interrupted for 25 minutes when the referee called a halt to proceedings shortly after sending off Lex Immers due to some utterly vile chanting aimed at him. By that time, PSV were already 4-0 up through Toivonen's first-half hat-trick - an object lesson in being in the right place at the right time - and Otman Bakkal who volleyed in early in the second half. Ricky van den Bergh had already been sent off and Immers followed only for the referee to intervene. When play resumed, Karim Soltani pulled one back, but Toivonen nodded in his fourth two minutes later. An entertaining clash in Enschede was settled by Bryan Ruiz's header early in the second half as Ajax failed to truly test Sander Boschker in the Twente goal. Steve McClaren's side are looking very good to at least match, if not better, last season's second place finish.

    There's a four-point gap back to Ajax from PSV and then a further five points to fourth placed Feyenoord who drew with champions AZ on Sunday. The Rotterdammers dominated the first half, but only had Sekou Cissé's fifth-minute goal, tucked neatly through the legs of Sergio Romero, to show for it. And they paid for their profligacy when Brett Holman slammed in a cracking shot from 20 yards out ten minutes into the second half. Utrecht have been dropped by the leaders after they were surprisingly beaten at home by struggling Heerenveen. Viktor Elm and two from Michal Papadopoulos put the Friesians three up with twelve minutes to go and they almost blew it. Tim Cornelisse pulled one back nine minutes from the end and Jacob Mulenga another in the last minute, but Heerenveen were just about able to hang on.

    Waalwijk won for just the second time this season as they rolled over NEC who are now in trouble. Derk Boerrigter got the goal just after the half hour and they hung on, uncharacteristically, despite Hans Mulder being sent off ten minutes from time. VVV Venlo join NEC in the bottom three after defeat on Saturday, Dalibor Stevanovic and Claudemir helping Vitesse to a 2-0 win. Heracles and Sparta's recent good form came to an abrupt end as both lost. Heracles went in front against Groningen on Friday night, Bas Dost striking on 15 minutes, but the previously hapless Groningen turned it round in grand style. Leandro Bacuna equalised within four minutes and Andreas Granqvist added a penalty just before the break. Tim Matavz added two more in the second to end a miserable run for the Northerners. Sparta went down at home to Roda, Blodiszar Bodor with the winner after Rydell Popeon's penalty cancelled out Mads Junker's opener and Willem II also went down hard, beaten 4-0 in Breda. All four went in before the interval, Kurt Elshot, Kees Kwakman, Matthew Amoah and Leonardo blowing the Tilburgers off the park.

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