Luke Littler remained unfazed by the hostile reception from the Rotterdam crowd during Night 11 of the Premier League Darts, stating it was 'exactly what I expected'. Littler faced booing from the crowd throughout his three matches, which led to his run in the final.
This reaction stems from his previous spat with Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen from Night Nine in Manchester. Van Veen won a contentious match where Littler reacted angrily after his opponent turned towards him while throwing match darts. Littler eventually lost to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton in the final.
Despite initially saying he wouldn't react to the crowd's taunts, Littler couldn't resist responding during his semi-final match against Luke Humphries. When he tied the match at 2-2, Littler gave a 'calm down' gesture to a section of the crowd, followed by some flamboyant flourishes with his darts in the next leg.
Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle noted that Littler's swagger made him hard to deal with, showcasing his confidence. Littler won against Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries before losing to Clayton in the final. Clayton's victory extended his lead over Littler to five points at the top of the table, with Clayton praising Littler as 'absolutely amazing' and an 'amazing darts player'.
Glen Durrant also commended Littler for his response to the crowd's taunts, stating he wouldn't have been able to handle it himself.