FC Twente continued their march towards the title, while AZ Alkmaar were held to a surprise draw.
Twente close on title as NEC hold AZ
FC Twente continued their march towards the title, while AZ Alkmaar were held to a surprise draw.
Steve McClaren's FC Twente moved seven points clear of nearest rivals Ajax, who play on Sunday, by beating Heerenveen 2-0.
Cheik Tiote opened the scoring after 70 minutes but the result was not safe until Luuk de Jong added a second at the death.
AZ Alkmaar were expected to claim a seventh consecutive victory against an NEC Nijmegen side that had picked up just one point from seven games.
However, NEC produced a battling performance to hold the reigning Eredivisie champions to a goalless draw.
Sixth-placed Heracles Almelo also had to settle for a point after a 1-1 draw away to struggling Sparta Rotterdam.
Bas Dost fired Heracles ahead early in the second half but his effort was soon cancelled out by Edouard Duplan.
A Danny Gorter penalty gave NAC Breda a 1-0 victory over mid-table rivals Roda JC in the day's final game.