Arnhem, Netherlands (SportsNetwork.com) - Ajax's quest for a fifth straight Eredivisie title took a hit on Sunday as the champions were handed a 1-0 defeat at Vitesse thanks to an 85th-minute goal from Uros Djurdjevic.
PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 win over Willem II on Saturday extended PSV's lead over Ajax to nine points at the top of the league, making Sunday's result vital for the Amsterdam side.
However, the hosts looked to be the more dangerous side throughout, and Djurdjevic finally made the pressure count five minutes from time with a goal that leaves Ajax with a lot of ground to make up over the next three months.
The visitors had few good looks at goal on Sunday, and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was tested on a few occasions in the first half by Vitesse forward Bertrand Traore, who saw both of his efforts kept out by the Netherlands international.
It wasn't until the final 20 minutes that Ajax managed to test Vitesse goalkeeper Eloy Room, but the hosts finally made the most of a chance in the 85th as Djurdjevic flicked a ball past his defender before lashing a shot past Cillessen for a great individual goal.
Ajax had one last chance to take something from the game, but Anwar El Ghazi's shot was tipped onto the crossbar by Room to preserve the win.
Feyenoord moved to within five points of Ajax after a 2-1 win over Den Haag that saw Feyenoord score twice in the opening 20 minutes, Zwolle used goals from Thomas Lam and Stefan Nijland to remain in fourth place with a 2-0 victory at Utrecht, while AZ Alkmaar notched a 3-1 victory over Heracles behind second-half goals from Steven Berghuis and Markus Henriksen.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.