Ajax denied opening win

New signing Mounir El Hamdaoui opened the scoring five minutes into the second half and added his second 11 minutes later when he picked up a pass from Demy de Zeeuw before turning and firing into the net.

Tim Matavz pulled one back for Groningen before Pedersen salvaged a point for the home side.

Feyenoord scored three second-half goals to overcome Utrecht's 12th minute opening goal when Ricky van Wolfswinkel netted a rebound.

An own goal by Alje Schut after the break put Feyenoord back on track, while a long drive from Luigi Bruins and a fine header by Leroy Fer sealed the victory.

On Saturday Swede Ola Toivonen struck twice to earn PSV Eindhoven a 3-1 win at Heerenveen, while champions Twente Enschede were held to a goalless draw by Roda JC Kerkrade on Friday.