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. This victory marked Clayton's fourth nightly win of the campaign, extending his lead at the top of the table to five points. Clayton defeated world champion Littler, as well as home favorite Michael van Gerwen and Josh Rock, to claim the top spot at the Rotterdam Ahoy. Clayton started the final trailing 2-0 but rallied to take the lead, eventually securing his win with a clutch 78 outshot.
Littler threatened a comeback but Clayton capitalized on his opponent's profligate finishing to take the win. Clayton joked that he wouldn't praise Littler too much, fearing a comeback from his opponent.
Instead, he focused on his own performance, stating that he had done his job in beating a talented player like Littler. Clayton's win coincided with his 20th anniversary and helped him forget a disappointing comment from the previous week, which had labeled him as the favorite to finish bottom. Littler, meanwhile, bolstered his chances of a Play-Off spot by making his fourth final in seven weeks, moving up to 24 points in the standings.
Speaking after his quarter-final win, Littler said he had expected the hostile crowd but was able to focus on his game. Three-time world champion Glen Durrant praised Littler's ability to deal with the situation, saying that he didn't react to the crowd and instead focused on his performance.
The Premier League heads to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool next, where the race for the Play-Offs will intensify. Home hero Stephen Bunting will face Clayton, while Luke Humphries will take on Littler.
The top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on May 28.