Two goals in four minutes just after the break from Urby Emanuelson and Luis Suarez had put the Amsterdammers ahead following Mads Junker's early opener, but Harrie Gommans rescued a draw to dent the visitors' title hopes.

Ajax are now five points adrift of PSV, with Heerenveen, Feyenoord and FC Groningen all hot on their heels just one point further back.

The latter pair also had to settle for a share of the spoils after a 1-1 draw in Rotterdam.

Marcus Berg put the away side on course for their 13th win of the season, but an own goal by Mark-Jan Fledderus on the stroke of half-time earned Feyenoord a point.

At the other end of the table, Heracles chalked up their first away win of the season in style with a 5-0 thumping of fellow strugglers VVV Venlo.

It was the second time VVV had conceded five in the space of four days following their midweek hiding by Heerenveen.

Garcia Gonzalo with a brace, Mark Looms, Srdjan Lakic and Igor Gluscevic lifted Heracles four points clear of the bottom three and left the home side, three points worse off, still very much in danger of an instant return to the second division.

And it was a good day for the relegation-threatened sides as Sparta Rotterdam and NEC Nijmegen both picked up vital wins.

Goals from Yuri Rose and Charles Dissels earned Sparta a 2-1 win at FC Twente to move them to within a point of guaranteed safety.

Romano Denneboom had briefly brought Twente level, but the defeat was a major blow to their Champions League aspirations, leaving them four points off the top five.

NEC meanwhile joined them on 18 points after their first win since early November, Jhonny van Beukering and Brett Holman on target in the second-half to see off mid-table FC Utrecht.

In Saturday's matches, PSV needed a last-minute goal from substitute Danny Koevermans to see off rock-bottom Excelsior.

The defending champions looked set to drop two vital points when Excelsior's Geert Den Ouden cancelled out Balazs Dzsudzsak's opener with nine minutes to go.

But Koevermans grabbed the winner with time almost up.

Heerenveen moved up to second with a 3-0 win at De Graafschap thanks to goals from Michael Bradley (two) and Miralem Sulejmani.

And NAC Breda maintained their push for a European place with a 2-0 win at Roda JC - Victor Sikora and Fouad Idabdelhay grabbing the goals.

Willem II had posted a 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar on Friday.