Jonny Clayton has praised 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, after he claimed his third win against world champion Littler this year. The Welshman overcame home favorite Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, and Littler to emerge victorious at the Rotterdam Ahoy, taking his points tally to 29 after just 11 weeks.
Clayton initially trailed 2-0, but rallied to take three legs straight and later secured a clutch 78 outshot to lead. Although Littler threatened a comeback with a 15-dart hold, Clayton capitalized on his opponent's profligate finishing to secure his fourth nightly win. 'I'm not going to say anything because Littler will come back and beat me up,' Clayton joked during his press conference. Clayton holds a 16-point buffer from fifth in the Play-Off race and has bolstered his chances of a top-four finish.
Littler, meanwhile, bolstered his own Play-Off chances by making his fourth final in seven weeks, seeing off Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock to move up to 24 points in the standings. 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 May 28.