Feyenoord entered the weekend in second place, five points ahead of rivals Ajax, who started life under interim manager Óscar García with a 4-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam last week.
Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie was forced to make two changes with Mats Deijl (suspension) and Hwang In-beom (injury) ruled out. Jordan Lotomba and Tsuyoshi Watanabe replaced them, while Anel Ahmedhodzic took Thijs Kraaijeveld's spot in the heart of the defence. García welcomed Wout Weghorst back in the starting XI, as Jorthy Mokio replaced the injured Youri Regeer.
The first major chance was for Feyenoord, who were inches away from taking the lead through a Watanabe header from a free-kick. Jorthy Mokio saved Ajax with a heroic headed clearance on the goal line.
A cagey first 30 minutes saw neither side get close to a goal outside of Watanabe's header, with stoppers Maarten Paes and Timon Wellenreuther forced to make the only other saves on routine shots from Anis Hadj Moussa and Mika Godts.
Barely a minute had passed in the second half when Ayase Ueda popped up for the first time and headed the ball narrowly past Paes' near post, making for a rare chance in a defensive battle in Rotterdam.
With just their second shot on target, 18-year-old Ajax midfielder Seun Steur broke the deadlock after picking up a loose ball and firing the ball past Wellenreuther to score his first Eredivisie goal.
A period of intense pressure from Feyenoord followed, but one that didn't yield the hosts even an attempt on goal, as Feyenoord were left with less than 20 minutes to make something of a crucial Klassieker.
Feyenoord were given a lifeline when substitute Kian Fitz-Jim handed the hosts a penalty after missing the ball and taking down Jordan Lotomba, prompting referee Danny Makkelie to put the ball on the spot in the 82nd minute. Jakub Moder stepped up and fired it in the top right corner to make it 1-1 with under six minutes to go.
The final 15 minutes saw Feyenoord put Ajax under more serious pressure as the hosts smelled blood. Danish striker Casper Tengstedt had his curled attempt saved by Paes before Feyenoord were effectively reduced to 10 men with Anis Hadj Moussa grabbing his groin, but unable to be subbed out with Van Persie out of substitutions.
Feyenoord and Ajax held onto the 1-1 scoreline in a poor, defensive Klassieker, as the hosts stayed five points ahead of Ajax.
An Ajax win could've seen PSV win the Eredivisie title with a win over Telstar later on Sunday, but with their lead expanding to 18 points at most, an official title win is out of the question for now.