Michael van Gerwen has aimed a dig at Luke Littler after the darts wonderkid won his first-ever Premier League night.
Littler won in Belfast on Thursday, beating Van Gerwen in the semi-finals. ‘The Nuke’ claimed a 6-3 win over the three-time world champion to set up a final against Nathan Aspinall.
He edged out ‘The Asp’ 6-4 to claim his first night win, leapfrogging Van Gerwen in the table in the process. It was just Littler’s third-ever win over the Dutchman, with the 34-year-old having been the dominant player in their previous match-ups.
But after their semi-final clash on Thursday, Van Gerwen appeared to take a swipe at his opponent. The Dutchman played down Littler’s performance in the match, insisting he could have beaten the 17-year-old.
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“Right at the beginning of that match it went wrong. I can see he’s not comfortable and then I’m just too preoccupied with him instead of concentrating on my own game,” Van Gerwen told Viaplay.
“But there was still more in it. I have now played Luke six times, three of which I lost and three of which I won. Every time he won against me it was not convincing, while he does against other players.
“I just have to take advantage of that, which is still a downside that it didn’t work out tonight. It’s still fighting for the playoffs. I just have to see for myself that I’m well prepared and then that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Despite only winning one night, Littler is now second in the standings, just behind world champion Luke Humphries. He will meet Van Gerwen again in the quarter-finals next week when the competition heads to Manchester.
This is not the first time that Van Gerwen has appeared to take aim at Littler. Last month, he beat the youngster in Newcastle, with the Dutchman scoffing at suggestions Littler had become his new ‘nemisis’.
“Not really, I keep beating him! No, he’s a phenomenal player, I know that. He has such a lot of talent and he has got a great career in front of him. But like I always say, get the pressure off him, don’t ask him too many stupid questions,” Van Gerwen said.
“Let him just enjoy what he does and it will make him a better player in the long run. He’s a young kid. How much pressure everyone puts on his shoulders is insane. I know, as a player, how it is. I don’t think it’s fair on him. But that’s my opinion.
“I just like darts and I want to protect the product. I like to perform to the highest level, and that’s why I like to play against Luke Littler. But if you keep doing this, I’ve seen a lot of kids in his position drift off. So I don’t think
that’s good for the sport.”
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