How it happened
Yoann Cathline scored twice and took the highest match rating on the pitch, 9.8, as FC Utrecht beat Willem II Tilburg 3-1 after a goalless first half.
Cathline broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Willem II answered within seven minutes, Jaden Slory equalising in the 60th from a chance worth only 0.04 expected goals.
The visitors could not hold that level. Cathline restored the lead in the 75th minute, and Alarcón sealed the result in the 90+2 minute.
The numbers
Utrecht dominated the match statistics. They had 24 shots to nine, six on target to two, and won the expected-goals count 1.30 to 0.61. They also had 58% of possession and took seven corners to three.
Cathline, who played 89 minutes, had 58 touches and one key pass. His two goals came from 0.28 expected goals between them, so he finished well above the quality of his chances.
Oualid Agougil provided an assist and four key passes in 82 minutes, with a match rating of 7.4. Slory's rating of 7.5 was the best on the Willem II side. Goalkeeper Maxime Delanghe made three saves and earned a match rating of 7, which kept the margin to two goals for long periods.
What it means
Utrecht started the day 13th with eight points from eight games. The win gives them a first result in this run that matches their territorial edge.
Willem II began it 18th with two points, no wins, six defeats and 23 goals conceded. Their expected goals against stood at 17.2 before this match, and Utrecht's total of 1.30 added to it.
The meeting continues a pattern in this fixture. Utrecht won four of the last five meetings, and Willem II's only success in that spell was a 3-0 home win in May 2022. Across 66 meetings the record reads 34 home wins, 13 draws and 19 away wins.