Ajax barely once found a single gap in FC Utrecht's back row. Still, Ajax weren't short on opportunities. Sébastien Haller and David Neres were among those lacking accuracy in front of the goal.
It looked like it could still be 1-0 after the break. But Haller (twice) and Dusan Tadic bumped up against FC Utrecht goalkeeper Maarten Paes' cat-like reflexes. It was hoped a triple substitution could break the spell for Ajax. Daley Blind, Davy Klaassen and Antony came on for Nico Tagliafico, Ryan Gravenberch and Neres. Klaassen threatened danger with a header in the 63rd minute, but annoyingly all the noughts stayed stuck on the scoreboard.
Then Ajax launched an attack too far. In a lightning counter-attack, former Ajax player Django Warmerdam blasted the ball diagonally past Remko Pasveer: 1-0. Ajax kept trying after that, but keeper Paes wasn't letting anything past that afternoon.
Ajax - FC Utrecht 0-1 (0-0)
77. Warmerdam 0-1
Ajax: Pasveer; Mazraoui, Timber, Martínez (80. Danilo), Tagliafico (57. Blind); Álvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch (57. Klaassen); Neres (57. Antony), Haller (72. Daramy), Tadic
