Ajax's Eredivisie title aspirations were dealt a blow as FC Utrecht eased to a victory at Stadion Galgenwaard.

The visitors offered little in the way of attacking threat over 90 minutes and Utrecht ran out deserved winners thanks to second-half strikes by Jacob Mulenga and Jan Wuytens.

A miserable afternoon for Martin Jol's Ajax was compounded late on when Vurnon Anita was given his marching orders for a second yellow card.

The third-placed Amsterdammers were already six points off the pace of league leaders FC Twente prior to this defeat, and could slip further back should results go against them later today.

Utrecht, meanwhile, remain well in the mix in the race for the European berths and are now just six points behind Ajax.

The hosts appeared in bullish mood from the outset and just two minutes were on the clock when the Ajax goal came under siege for the first time, Gianluca Nijholt firing just wide after his initial effort from a free-kick had been blocked.

Three minutes later Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg gathered a low effort from Mulenga, while the visiting custodian was again called into action on the half hour as he held Sander Keller's goalbound header.

And Stekelenburg also had to be alert five minutes before the break, the goalkeeper reacting instinctively to parry Ricky Van Wolfwinkel's close-range effort.

A dismal half from the visitors was punctuated by just the one effort on the Utrecht goal, Anita playing a nice one-two with Luis Suarez and firing in an effort which was too close to goalkeeper Michel Vorm.

Having bossed the opening 45, Utrecht were good value for their lead when it arrived three minutes after the restart.

Mulenga received the ball on the left side of the penalty area and was afforded time and space to pick his spot beyond Stekelenburg.

And one became two on 66 minutes when Nijholt's inswinging corner was met by the head of Wuytens who powered the ball low into the net.

Ajax's only chance of the second period fell to Marko Pantelic after 57 minutes but he fired wastefully over, and the visitors' bad day at the office was complete when Anita walked after picking up a second yellow for a poor tackle on Dries Mertens.