(CNN)  -- A 75th minute strike by striker Graziano Pelle gave AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen on Sunday to leave his side top of the Dutch standings.



Italian star Pelle scored the winner to keep AZ on top heading into the Dutch break.



The Italian's decisive goal means Louis van Gaal's men will head into 2009 with a three-point lead over Ajax Amsterdam after 17 rounds.



The Eredivisie is set to resume on January 16 after a three-week break.



Earlier, Dario Cvitanich scored a hat-trick as Ajax beat ADO Den Haag 3-0 to temporarily draw level on points with the leaders.



But AZ, who are unbeaten in 15 games, then saw off Nijmegen, who had also been on a fine 14-game unbeaten run.



AZ have 41 points, with Ajax on 38.



Steve McClaren's FC Twente are in third place, seven points adrift of AZ, after holding defending champions PSV Eindhoven to a goalless draw on Saturday.



PSV are fourth with 30 points and looking set to relinquish their league title.



On Friday, Feyenoord snapped a run of three successive losses by beating NAC Breda 3-1, but the struggling Rotterdam giants are in 12th spot.
Who scored the crucial winner? Who beat NEC Nijmegen in a Dutch league game? What kind of break were the clubs about to take? How many points took the lead? Alkamaar is on top by how man points? Alkamaar beat who 1-0 in the Dutch league game? The winner in the Dutch game was? What day was the game? Who scored for winning for AZ?
Graziano Pelle AZ Alkmaar three-week three-point three-point NEC Nijmegen AZ Alkmaar Sunday Graziano Pelle
question: Who scored the crucial winner?, answer: Graziano Pelle | question: Who beat NEC Nijmegen in a Dutch league game?, answer: AZ Alkmaar | question: What kind of break were the clubs about to take?, answer: three-week | question: How many points took the lead?, answer: three-point | question: Alkamaar is on top by how man points?, answer: three-point | question: Alkamaar beat who 1-0 in the Dutch league game?, answer: NEC Nijmegen | question: The winner in the Dutch game was?, answer: AZ Alkmaar | question: What day was the game?, answer: Sunday | question: Who scored for winning for AZ?, answer: Graziano Pelle