How Ajax Threw Away The Eredivisie Title

The European leagues are wrapping up, with Bayern, Barcelona and PSG all clinching their respective league titles as expected. However there was a great shock last week, as PSV won the Eredivisie title despite Ajax having a significant lead in the race just a few weeks ago. On the final day at the weekend both teams won, but the damage had already been done and the trophy headed to Eindhoven. But how did this happen?

This Season In Context

Ajax haven’t been the Eredivisie giant that their history suggests for some time now. While they did manage four titles in a row between 2018 and 2022, they have since fallen dramatically to third and then fifth last season. Before their four title successes in a row, they once again missed out on the title four times, finishing second in each campaign. Last season’s abysmal campaign was their worst since 2000, where they finished fifth as well.

Meanwhile PSV have been on the up. SInce 2018, they have finished at least second in every season except one. In this time they have now won the Eredivisie title twice, once last season, and again this season. Historically, PSV have been the second biggest club in the Netherlands, so to see them up at the top of the table is not surprising, however Ajax’s recent fall off has been a bit of a shock.

A Good Start

Both teams started this campaign strongly. Ajax came out of the blocks a little slower than PSV, as they fell to a surprising 2-1 defeat to NAC Breda in their first away game. In fact it took them until the 29th of September to register their first away win of the season, as a 1-1 draw against Go Ahead Eagles followed. Ajax regained their confidence with a routine away win against RKC Waalwijk.

PSV started even more strongly, winning their first three matches by an aggregate scoreline of 15-3. This included a 7-1 away win over Almere City. By the time the two sides met in the first week of November, PSV hadn’t lost a game while Ajax had lost one and drawn one. Despite the slightly poorer record, Ajax were expected to win the game, as they had home advantage, and had managed results against harder teams, while PSV's most difficult opponent up until that point had been AZ, who they only just scraped past.

100% win record against Almere City FC in the @eredivisie. Let’s keep this streak alive! 🫡#ALMPSV pic.twitter.com/S7Lm56yt5M

— PSV (@PSV) August 24, 2024

Ajax did in fact win the game thanks to a winning goal by Mika Godts in the second half. Despite having more of the ball, PSV only managed four shots on target compared to Ajax’s eight. The home team were much more decisive in the right moments, and they managed to close the gap at the top of the table to just one point.

PSV Go Clear

Ajax looked as if they could overtake PSV following their win, if they just kept on their form, however in their very next game they were held to a 2-2 draw by Twente. After that, they won just two of their next four, losing to AZ and playing out another 2-2 draw, this time against Utrecht. In each of the games, they had the opposite problem to their win against PSV, as they had much more of the ball, but couldn’t make their dominance count.

At the same time, PSV were shaking off their defeat away at Ajax, winning their next four games. This included a 5-2 win over Utrecht, who then held Ajax just three days later, and a 6-1 win over Twente, who had also held Ajax, just a month before. At this point PSV were nine points clear and the league appeared pedestrian to them, as it had done the season before.

The Ajax Comeback

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ajax found a run of form while PSV collapsed. Between their two games against AZ on the 15th of December and the 9th of March, Ajax won every single game. This was 10 wins in a row where they conceded just twice. Meanwhile, in the same period, PSV won just three times, losing three and drawing four. These losses included some shocking results, such as a 1-0 loss to Heereveen and a 3-1 defeat to PEC Zwolle.

A special night ♥️

Watch highlights of our 7-1 win over PSV in the Champions League on Tuesday 👇 pic.twitter.com/2JSZw92kjF

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 7, 2025

By February, Ajax had taken top spot from PSV for the first time this season. Despite losing in the Europa League to Frankfurt, they managed to keep a consistent run of form going. Meanwhile, PSV’s run of form saw them nearly drop to third. Their lowest point in the season came when they were beaten 7-1 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League, knocking them out of the competition.

Ajax Go Nine Points Clear

The two sides faced each other again, but this time their forms couldn't be more different. Instead of going in as favourites because of home advantage, Ajax went into this match as firm favourites as their form had seen them fail to win just once since December, and by now we were at the end of March. The narrative before this game was that if Ajax won, they’d win the title.

The game wasn’t particularly close, and went very similarly to their previous meeting this season. PSV had the majority of the ball, but weren't able to find a way past the back line and Matheus in the Ajax goal, while Ajax were able to take their chances when they came. Davy Klaassen opened the scoring after 35 minutes and Bertrand Traore sealed the victory after coming on in the second half. The result saw Ajax go nine points clear of PSV. Luuk de Jong, the PSV captain, admitted that the title race was essentially over after the game, saying that his team needed to secure second place.

The Biggest Fall Off In Football History?

Before the match, PSV’s form was terrible, but something in them switched after that, and they went on to win all their remaining games, keeping the pressure on Ajax. They’d need a miracle for them to actually win the title, but they tried all they could to be on Ajax’s shoulder the whole way. This run saw them beat Twente and Feyenoord, two teams that may have been eyeing up second place following PSV’s defeat to Ajax, so it wasn’t the easiest set of fixtures in the world.

Ajax’s two games following their victory over their title rivals were two routine wins against NAC Breda and Willem II. It was their match on the 20th of April that really derailed their whole season. They travelled to Utrecht, who had started the season strongly but had been on a downward spiral ever since the start of December, so to lose 4-0 was a shock for Ajax. It wasn’t just the scoreline that was worrying, but the ease of it too.

On April 20, Ajax went into their game at FC Utrecht with a 9-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie.

They had the chance to extend the lead to 12 points.

They lost 4-0.

24 days later, they've surrendered the lead, and surely the title, to PSV with one game to go. pic.twitter.com/slSXGHeovk

— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) May 14, 2025

Following that match, the confidence seemed to disappear and the Ajax players would capitulate on the pitch the moment anything went wrong. Two home games produced just a single point, and all the while PSV were edging closer. It wasn’t a question of quality, as the Ajax team had plenty of it, but a question of mentality and leadership.

Last week Ajax faced Groningen away from home. A win would keep PSV at arms length, and it looked as if they were going to get it. Wout Weghorst gave the visitors the lead for the second time on the 67th minute and three minutes into stoppage time Groningen were reduced to 10 men. All they had to do was see out another six or so minutes without conceding and the title would be within their grasp. What happened next will go down in PSV history as an incredibly important moment, and will want to be forgotten by Ajax fans as quickly as possible. Thijmen Blokziji, a 20 year old centre back who had never scored in his senior career, poked in a goal at the back post in the 99th minute of the game, giving his team a point, but more importantly giving PSV the chance to win their second title in two years.

Ajax won their final match of the season, but as did PSV, meaning that that one late goal was the difference in the title race. Subsequently, Ajax manager Francesco Farioli left the club after tensions with the board grew and it looks as if captain Jordan Henderson could also be leaving, with the higher ups looking for fresh players to reinvigorate the team. Henderson’s leadership could be vital for such a young team, however he has drawn a lot of criticism both in the Netherlands and beyond.