Luis Suarez put the visitors in front a minute before half-time before Kenneth Perez doubled Ajax's lead from the spot in the 55th minute.

Miralem Sulejmani gave Heerenveen hope on the hour mark but Klaas Jan Huntelaar restored Ajax's two-goal advantage seconds later and added a second on 89 minutes before Danijel Pranjic made the scoreline more respectable for the hosts.

All the talk before the game was that PSV Eindhoven could win the title if Ajax lost, but in the end it was the Eredivisie leaders who dropped points as they were held to a goaless draw at NEC Nijmegen.

PSV still remain firm favourites to win their fourth successive Eredivisie crown as they are five points clear of Ajax with three games left in the campaign.

Two late goals saw 10-man Excelsior come from behind to beat VVV Venlo 2-1 in a relegation six-pointer.

Karim Soltani gave VVV the lead in the 10th minute and it looked all over for rock-bottom Excelsior when Geert Den Ouden was sent off on 52 minutes.

The visitors should have sealed the game on 67 minutes but Jason Oost saw his penalty saved by Excelsior keeper Ronald Graafland.

VVV were left to rue that missed opportunity as Leendert van Steensel netted the equaliser on 78 minutes before Robert Braber scored the winner two minutes later to see Excelsior draw level on points with second-bottom VVV.

Elsewhere, Heracles Almelo earned themselves a vital point in their bid to push away from the relegation zone as they held Roda JC to a goalless draw.

On Friday night, Canada striker Will Johnson stepped off the substitutes' bench to score his first goal for De Graafschap and rescue a valuable point in their bid to avoid relegation with a 1-1 draw at home to FC Groningen.