Eredivisie round-up: Ajax keep pressure on leaders Feyenoord with win over Heerenveen

Ajax kept up the pressure on leaders Feyenoord in the race for the Eredivisie title by thrashing Heerenveen 5-1 at the Amsterdam Arena.

Peter Bosz's side remain one point behind Feyenoord, who are still looking over their shoulders with three games to play after they had earlier beaten Utrecht 2-0 to briefly move four points clear at the top.

Ajax fell behind to an early goal from Heerenveen striker Reza Ghoochannejhad, but hit back to lead 3-1 at half-time thanks to Nick Viergever, Matthijs de Ligt and Davy Klaassen, who took his tally to 17 for the season.

Kasper Dolberg converted a second-half penalty after he had been fouled by Morten Thorsby and David Neres added a late fifth for Ajax.

Feyenoord had earlier registered their 10th straight home league win by beating Utrecht courtesy of second-half goals from Jens Toornstra and Eljero Elia.

Midfielder Toornstra scored his 14th of the season three minutes after the interval and winger Elia struck his ninth late on to seal three more points for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side at De Kuip.

Feyenoord have won all but two of their 16 home league games this season, dropping points only twice in successive draws against Ajax and Heerenveen in October.

Bryan Linssen and Mimoun Mahi both scored twice as Groningen secured their biggest home win of the season by beating mid-table rivals PEC Zwolle 5-1.

Linssen's first-half brace sandwiched Mahi's close-range effort to give Groningen a 3-0 half-time lead before Nicolai Brock-Madsen struck for Zwolle soon after the restart.

But Mahi fired home his second in the 53rd minute and Ajdin Hrustic added a late fifth for Groningen, who secured only their second league win in 13 matches.

Bottom club Go Ahead Eagles are running out of games as their survival hopes were dealt another blow by two late goals in a 2-0 defeat at Willem II.

The visitors spurned several chances in a lunch-time kick-off before falling behind to substitute Fran Sol's 72nd-minute header.

Jari Schuurman's low shot 10 minutes later sealed Willem II's first league win in five matches, while Go Ahead Eagles have now lost seven of their last nine and are five points from safety with three games remaining.