A Matthew Amoah double helped NAC Breda on their way to a third successive victory in the Eredivisie, with a 4-2 win piling the agony on struggling FC Volendam.
Kees Kwakman and Amoah hit first-half goals to put NAC in the driving seat at the Kras Stadion, and although Mathieu Boots pulled a goal back, Amoah struck again to keep the visitors two goals ahead.
A second Volendam goal from Jack Tuyp set nerves jangling in the NAC camp, but a last-minute effort from Anthony Lurling put the result beyond doubt and moved Robert Maaskant's level on points with second-placed PSV Eindhoven.
Volendam, however, reside at the foot of the table having lost all five of their matches since gaining promotion to the top flight this summer.
Confidence is high in the NAC squad following their impressive start to the season, and they needed just six minutes to break the deadlock.
A long ball forward from Lurling was not dealt with by Volendam defender Kelvin Maynard allowing Kwakman to smash a left-footed volley home from close range.
A second goal followed after 20 minutes with Lurling again providing the pass this time for Amoah, who let fly with a right-footed shot which just eluded the outstretched boot of Jeroen Verhoeven in the home goal.
Volendam had been outplayed in the first half, but showed more fight after the restart and managed to reduce the deficit in the 54th minute when Vit Valenta's corner was nodded in by Boots.
But their jubilation lasted just 14 minutes as some sloppy defending in the Volendam area allowed Amoah to pick up a cross from Ellery Cairo and prod the ball into the far corner.
Volendam refused to let their heads drop and Tuyp's headed goal with six minutes remaining sparked hopes of a late comeback.
But another defensive lapse in the dying seconds allowed Lurling to intercept a sloppy clearance from Boots before lifting the ball over Verhoeven to make sure of the points.
