Erik ten Hag is celebrating his third Eredivisie title after Ajax beat Heerenveen 5-0.
Ajax needed a win to wrap up the title, sitting four points clear of PSV Eindhoven with two games remaining. The Dutch side made no mistake, thrashing their opponents in front of a raucous home crowd.
The title party got started early as Nicolas Tagliafico scored after 19 minutes. The result was already beyond doubt by half-time after goals from Steven Berghuis and Sebastien Haller.
Substitute Brian Brobbey then grabbed a fourth in the second half before Edson Alvarez put the icing on the cake in injury time.
Third Eredivisie title
This is Erik ten Hag’s third Eredivisie title, but it really should be his fourth. Ajax were leading the league in the 2019/20 season before the league was cancelled due to the pandemic. No team was awarded the title that season.
This is Ten Hag’s final season before his move to manage Manchester United. He has one more match to go, away at Vitesse this weekend, with the pressure off.
PSV won their game 3-2, so Ajax are an unassailable four points clear with one game to go.
It is good for Ten Hag to leave on a high, to leave fond memories at Ajax behind, to avoid accusations of being distracted by the United job.
He also arrives at Ajax as a winner, full of confidence and with momentum, and his Ajax side have deserved it after a terrific campaign.
Ajax have won 26 of 33 Eredivisie games this season, scoring 96 goals in the process, and conceding only 17.
Their positive goal difference of +79 is far above PSV’s +43, showing the real style they have played with this season, combined with defensive strength.
This was evident right to the end, with the 5-0 win over Heerenveen. Ten Hag can get the party started and celebrate, before the hard work at Manchester United begins.