Luke Littler quieted the vocal Liverpool supporters and narrowed the Premier League leaders' margin with a commanding 6-1 triumph over Jonny Clayton on Night 12. The result left Clayton still perched at the summit of the league on 32 points with four regular weeks remaining, but Littler closed the distance, moving onto 29 points and sitting just three points behind the Welshman.
Behind them, Gerwyn Price occupies third place with 19 points, while Michael van Gerwen holds fourth on 18. Gian van Veen follows on 14 points, and defending champion Luke Humphries is sixth with 13, underscoring how the battle for the coveted Finals Night is entering its decisive phase. For Littler, this victory marks his fourth nightly win of the campaign.
The Manchester‑born star endured a chorus of jeers from a largely partisan Liverpool crowd that seemed to favour his opponent throughout the evening. Yet he remained composed, especially when it came to finishing doubles, and clinched a vital win that keeps his ambition of topping the table for Finals Night alive.
"It was a good night. I'm very happy with myself," Littler told Sky Sports after the match. He added, "Usually the doubling is not there, but I'm very thankful it was tonight. A lot of crucial doubles at crucial times.
I'm very close to Jonny now, three points off. I'm going to go chasing – I want to finish top once again – and if it's not to be, it's not to be. But there's still four weeks to go." In the final against Clayton, Littler surged to a 5‑0 lead, denying the Welshman any foothold early on.
Clayton's only early checkout chances came from the bullseye, and although he managed to stop the rout and avoid a whitewash, he could only postpone Littler's victory by a single leg. Earlier in the night, Littler had also overcome a fierce challenge from Michael van Gerwen in a 6‑5 semi‑final. Van Gerwen displayed his usual brilliance, hitting nine maximums, converting 71% of his doubles and posting a 107.54 average.
Still, Littler weathered the storm, turning the match around after trailing 3‑1 and showcasing clinical finishing to seal the win. At one point the Dutchman seemed poised to win when he broke Littler's throw with an 11‑dart finish to go 5‑4 ahead, giving himself a chance to throw for the match. Littler responded instantly, breaking back, celebrating briefly, and then taking the decisive leg. In the final dart of the leg, van Gerwen hit a 180 to set up a finish on 46, which he completed on tops before the crowd erupted.
The night also delivered a harsh blow to Luke Humphries, whose Premier League finals hopes were dented by a 6‑2 quarter‑final loss to Littler. Despite scoring heavily, Humphries' double conversion slipped to just 18%, allowing Littler to race to a 4‑0 lead and ultimately a comfortable win. This loss marked Humphries' seventh defeat to the world No 1 in their last eight meetings. Jonny Clayton, meanwhile, secured his place in a sixth nightly final by edging Gian van Veen 6‑5 in a thrilling encounter.
Van Veen started strongly, leading 2‑0, but Clayton demonstrated his resilience, surviving several break‑of‑throw opportunities and delivering a massive 121 checkout to level the match at 3‑3. After holding his throw again, Clayton hit a sensational 156 checkout, moving within one leg of victory. Van Veen fought back, breaking to 5‑5, but missed a match dart at the bull. Clayton answered with a maximum and then took the decisive double 16 under pressure to claim the win.
Clayton also survived a nail‑biting 6‑5 quarter‑final against hometown favourite Stephen Bunting. The match swung back and forth, but Clayton stayed calm, grew into the game as he always does in the Premier League, and clinched the final leg on double 8, much to the disappointment of the Liverpudlian crowd. Clayton's consistency is evident: this was his ninth quarter‑final victory in the twelve‑week league, reinforcing his status as one of the tournament's most reliable performers.
Elsewhere on the night, Gian van Veen opened his campaign with a tight 6‑4 win over Gerwyn Price, debuting new darts in the process. Michael van Gerwen also started positively, dispatching Josh Rock 6‑3.
Looking ahead, the question remains: who will lift the Premier League Darts trophy this season? Defending champion Luke Humphries will be looking to retain his title, and fans can follow the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, or stream the matches and other top‑level sport via NOW.