PSV has taken second place in the Eredivisie more firmly. Thanks to a ticker from Anwar El Ghazi, the team from Eindhoven achieved a minimal victory at Sparta Rotterdam: 0-1. That could have turned out differently if Sparta striker Koki Saito had remained calm when he came face to face with goalkeeper Walter Benítez just before time. PSV takes six points away from number three Ajax, which will play against AZ on Saturday evening. Sparta remains fifth.
Van Nistelrooij made two changes compared to the cup final won against Ajax: Érick Gutiérrez replaced the suspended Ibrahim Sangaré, while Benítez took over from Joël Drommel in goal. Sparta had to do without the suspended Shurandy Sambo, who is rented from PSV. Bart Vriends, who recovered from an injury, returned to the starting team for the team from Rotterdam.
PSV came close to scoring twice in the opening phase. Xavi Simons accelerated over the axis of the field in the sixth minute and was able to take a shot from sixteen meters, but fired just wide. Moments later, André Ramalho also headed wide from a Joey Veerman cross. Sparta became stronger as the first half progressed and created a free shooting opportunity for Mica Pinto just before the break. The Luxembourger saw his attempt go just wide. On the other side, Johan Bakayoko tried it near the back line with a dangerous shot, to which goalkeeper Nick Olij reacted alertly.
It was immediately the last action by Bakayoko, who was replaced by Anwar El Ghazi at half-time. The substitute won a header in the penalty area in the 59th minute and seemed to have the ball ready for Til, who slid wide from very close range. PSV increased the pressure further. Twenty minutes before the end, a beautiful heel ball from Simons resulted in a huge opportunity for Gutiérrez, who hit the ball completely wrong.
PSV scored in the 74th minute. Fábio Silva snatched the ball from Adil Auassar and brought it low. Olij made a half save, after which the rebound was a simple ticker for El Ghazi: 0-1. Til failed to force the decision three minutes before the end by heading over from close range. On the other side, Saito was brought one-on-one with Benítez. Sparta’s left winger fell when shooting and saw his half attempt end up wide.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feyenoord | 30 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 45 | 73 |
| 2 | PSV | 31 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 68 |
| 3 | Ajax | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 47 | 62 |
| 4 | AZ | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 60 |
| 5 | Sparta Rotterdam | 31 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 53 |
| 6 | FC Twente | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 25 | 52 |
| 7 | FC Utrecht | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 45 |
| 8 | RKC Waalwijk | 31 | 11 | 8 | 12 | -3 | 41 |
| 9 | NEC | 30 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 38 |
| 10 | sc Heerenveen | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | -9 | 38 |
| 11 | Go Ahead Eagles | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | -8 | 36 |
| 12 | Fortuna Sittard | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | -21 | 32 |
| 13 | Vitesse | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | -12 | 31 |
| 14 | FC Volendam | 31 | 8 | 6 | 17 | -28 | 30 |
| 15 | FC Emmen | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | -22 | 28 |
| 16 | Excelsior | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | -39 | 28 |
| 17 | Fc Groningen | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | -32 | 17 |
| 18 | SC Cambuur | 30 | 4 | 4 | 22 | -39 | 16 |