Ajax needed a late Anwar El Ghazi header to give them a 1-0 win over Excelsior at the Amsterdam Arena.
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Without Arkaduisz Milik, Frank de Boer decided to once again start with Lasse Schone through the middle. The Dane, who signed a new contract during the week had the home sides best chance of the first half, but he could only screw a shot wide from a tight angle.
Excelsior proved a threat in the first half and only a last ditch header from Ricardo van Rhijn stopped Jordan Botaka from nodding in at the back post.
Nick Viergever fired wide early in the second half, while only a goalline clearance for Davy Klaassen stopped Daan Bovenberg from giving the away side the lead.
Frank de Boer threw on Richairo Zivkovic, and it was the young forward who proved to be the catalyst for the winning goal as his cross was headed in by Anwar El Ghazi.
The win keeps Ajax 11 points behind PSV at the top, while Excelsior sit 13th.
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