Jordan Henderson agony complete as Ajax capitulation allows PSV to nab title
Jordan Henderson and Ajax have completed an extraordinary late-season capitulation as PSV Eindhoven secured the Dutch title after final-day drama.
After a season of turbulence for the veteran England midfielder, an implosion in league form from the Eredivisie giants saw them blow a nine-point lead.
The penultimate round of the Eredivisie had already seen PSV leapfrog the one-time runaway leaders by a point after Ajax conceded late to draw against Groningen.
One of European football's great implosions was then sealed in the final round of fixtures as second-half goals from Luuk de Jong and Malik Tillman secured a 3-1 triumph and the title for PSV at Sparta Rotterdam.
For Henderson, it is a miserable end to what had already been a rollercoaster season of personal fortunes for the 34-year-old in Amsterdam.
He had been the victim of a scything red-card challenge in the match against Groningen and then watched on from the sidelines with his head-shaking as Ajax failed to make the most of their numerical advantage in midweek.
On Sunday, he opened the scoring in a 2-0 triumph over FC Twente, but the result would prove too little too late.
Prior to the team's late-season dip in form, relations between Henderson, recalled by England in March, and the club appeared to have improved since a mooted move to Monaco in the January transfer window. He had been involved in a tense exchange with a reporter in February as he questioned 'lies' and 'painful untruths' over the potential switch only a year after arriving from Saudi Arabia.
However, in a remarkable few weeks in the Netherlands, Ajax collected just two points in the space of four games, to ultimately allow PSV to clinch back-to-back titles.
Ajax had defeated PSV in both league meetings between the sides this season, including a two-goal victory in Eindhoven on March 30, giving them a nine-point lead.
According to ESPN, the latest a team has lost a nine-point lead in the three-points-for-a-win era in the top seven European leagues was Juventus in 1999-2000.
Henderson remains available for selection for England, having been brought back in as a surprise pick in Thomas Tuchel's first squad in March.
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