Jonny Clayton expressed admiration for Luke Littler's ability to remain unfazed by the hostile crowd in Rotterdam, as Clayton secured his second consecutive nightly win in the Premier League. Clayton's fourth nightly win of the campaign extended his lead at the top of the table to five points, following his third win against world champion Littler this year. The Welsh No 1 defeated home favorite Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, and Littler to claim victory at the Rotterdam Ahoy, bringing his points tally to 29 after just 11 weeks.
Clayton initially trailed 2-0 in the final, but he rallied to take three legs straight and later secured a crucial 78 outshot to move within one leg of victory. Although Littler threatened a comeback with a 15-dart hold, Clayton capitalized on his opponent's profligate finishing to take out tops and secure the win. "I'm not going to say anything because Littler will come back and beat me up," Clayton joked during his press conference. "He's got everything that every other player wishes for.
He's got that attitude, he's got the throw, he's got the mentality. He's got everything. What a player and to beat him, I've done my job." Clayton, who holds a 16-point buffer from fifth in the Play-Off race, also mentioned that he had to do something special as it was his 20th anniversary.
Littler bolstered his chances of a Play-Off spot at London's O2 by making his fourth final in seven weeks, seeing off Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock to move up to 24 points in the standings. Speaking to Sky Sports after his quarter-final win against Gerwyn Price, Littler said: "It was exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles. But I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job. I was practising very well before the game." Three-time world champion Glen Durrant praised Littler's composure, stating: "You called it frosty.
I called it hostile. But that's what the Premier League is about.
He didn't react each time he was winning legs; he wasn't allowing the crowd to get involved." The BetMGM Premier League heads to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, where home hero Stephen Bunting will face Clayton, and Luke Humphries will face Littler. Ranking points are awarded per night, with the top four players progressing to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 28.