Feyenoord denied FC Utrecht a point in Rotterdam after Ayase Ueda completed a brace in a dramatic 3-2 win for the Eredivisie leaders.
Just days after a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa, Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie changed two names in his starting lineup with Eredivisie Player of the Month Jordan Bos and Oussama Targhalline replacing Gijs Smal and Hwang-In Beom against FC Utrecht.
Meanwhile, FC Utrecht lost their second-straight Europa League game away at Norwegian outfit SK Brann and were hoping to rebound in the Eredivisie, where they'd failed to win their last three games.
The two sides opened fairly evenly in the opening 15 minutes, but it were Feyenoord who broke the deadlock soon after. Targhalline launched striker Ayase Ueda with a perfectly weighted deep ball, and the latter outplayed FC Utrecht goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas to put the ball into an empty net.
The home side knocked on the door for the remainder of the first half, but Sauer, Targhalline, Watanabe, and Ueda all saw their efforts either get saved or cleared off the line.
After playing a largely anonymous first half, FC Utrecht surprisingly got alongside Feyenoord a minute after the break. Feyenoord loanee Gjivai Zechiel received the ball from Sebastien Haller on the edge of the box and perfectly timed his first-time shot to get it past Timon Wellenreuther in the far corner.
Feyenoord quickly retook the lead, however, when Sem Steijn finished his own rebound to get the home side back in front three minutes after Zechiel's equaliser.
FC Utrecht controlled much of the possession in the second half and got close to getting back alongside Feyenoord several times. Adrian Blake forced a brilliant improved save out of Wellenreuther, while Haller couldn't control the ball enough after Alonzo Engwanda intercepted a pass from goalkeeper Wellenreuther.
The visitors managed to find the equaliser eventually through Derry John Murkin, who led a long rush from his own half and got the ball back on the edge of the box, from where he beat Wellenruther with a powerful effort in the short corner.
Feyenoord took the opportunity to up the pressure and bring on another striker in the form of Cyle Larin. The move paid off as Larin capped off a fine team move involving him, Luciano Valente, and Ayase Ueda, who completed his brace with a nifty finish over Barkas in the 87th minute.
Top of the table
Loose attempts from FC Utrecht could not put Feyenoord's lead in jeopardy, giving the home side their seventh win from eight Eredivisie matches to start the season. The league leaders visit bottom-of-the-table Heracles Almelo following the international break.
FC Utrecht's dramatic fall-off continued with their fifth loss in six games, and they will look to turn their luck around in a home game against promoted outfit FC Volendam on Saturday, October 18th.
View all the match and player statistics on Flashscore.
