PSV manager Peter Bosz handed striker Ricardo Pepi his first start since recovering from an ACL injury, and started Armando Obispo and Jerdy Schouten in the heart of the defense to give Yarek Gasiorowski and Ryan Flamingo extra rest ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League clash against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
Against NEC, who started their Eredivisie season with three convincing wins before losing 3-2 away at Fortuna Sittard, PSV opened attackingly, knowing the offensive firepower of an opponent that scored fourteen goals in their first four games.
Pepi rewarded Bosz for his confidence with the opening goal after just twelve minutes, calmly slotting the ball in the bottom corner to open the scoring in Nijmegen.
Obispo was less fortunate in the opening half after a collision with Ahmetcan Kaplan left the centre-half bleeding on the grass. The defender was helped to the sidelines, walking gingerly as he was replaced by Flamingo.
NEC dialled up the pressure against the reigning champions, but saw the Eindhoven outfit double the lead regardless when Ruben van Bommel profited from a slip-up from Brayann Pereira and was allowed to rush at goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz freely. The former AZ winger outplayed Crettaz and put the ball in an empty net in the 30th minute.
A lightning-quick response from NEC followed when Virgil Misidjan fired the ball in the bottom corner two minutes after Van Bommel's 2-0.
But where NEC went, PSV followed - Joey Veerman received the ball on NEC's half just one minute after Misidjan's goal and beautifully curled the ball into the top corner, restoring PSV's two-goal lead in the 33rd minute.
A chaotic first half was soon followed by a likewise second half. Ricardo Pepi scored PSV's fourth goal of the evening a mere four minutes after the break, heading the ball past Cretaz after a lofted cross from Ivan Perisic.
Youssef El Kachati scored NEC's second goal four minutes later, firing a rocket into Matej Kovar's goal from outside the box.
37-year-old Tjaronn Chery scored his third goal of the season when the midfielder put the ball in Kovar's bottom corner, but the goal was met by furious protests from PSV, who were furious about NEC's throw-in prior to the goal being taken ten metres further up the pitch. Referee Danny Makkelie ignored the protests and let Chery's 4-3 stand.
Striker Myron Boadu, who made his PSV debut by replacing Pepi in the 65th minute, added to the chaos in the 72nd minute, heading the ball in from a Joey Veerman corner just three minutes after Chery's goal.
Chery got a golden opportunity to put another NEC goal on the board after the Nijmegen outfit were handed a penalty, but the midfielder hit the crossbar and kept PSV alive in the final stages of the match.
PSV managed to hold on to their lead after five minutes of added time and left Nijmegen with a spectacular 5-3 win in the bag. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise are next for PSV as they kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday, September 16th, at 18.45 CET.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ricardo Pepi (PSV)
View all the statistics from NEC-PSV on Flashscore.
