Luke Littler quieted the vocal Liverpool supporters and narrowed the Premier League leaders' margin with a dominant 6-1 triumph over Jonny Clayton on Night 12 of the competition. The victory moved Littler to 29 points, just three shy of Clayton's 32, with four weeks of league play still to go. Gerwyn Price remains in third place on 19 points, while Michael van Gerwen sits fourth with 18. Gian van Veen follows on 14 points and defending champion Luke Humphries is sixth with 13, underscoring how the race to the Finals Night is entering its decisive phase.
This win marked Littler's fourth nightly victory of the season. The Manchester-born player endured a hostile atmosphere, as the Liverpool crowd consistently backed his opponent, but he kept his composure, especially on the doubles, and secured a crucial win that could see him finish the league in first place. "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 are still four weeks left." In the final against Clayton, Littler surged to a 5-0 lead, denying the Welshman any early foothold.
Clayton managed to claim a single leg to avoid a whitewash, but the momentum stayed firmly with Littler, who closed the match at 6-1. Earlier in the evening, Littler had also out‑performed Michael van Gerwen in a tense semi‑final, edging a 6-5 win after a dramatic comeback from 3-1 down. Van Gerwen displayed his usual firepower, hitting nine 180s, converting 71% of his doubles and posting a 107.54 average, yet Littler’s steady finishing and strategic dart changes proved decisive. The semi‑final saw van Gerwen break Littler’s throw with an 11‑dart finish to go 5-4 ahead, setting himself up for a potential match‑winning throw.
Littler responded by breaking back immediately, celebrating the turnaround and eventually taking the deciding leg. In the final leg, the world number one hit a crucial 180, set himself up on 46, and finished on tops before handing the spotlight back to the crowd.
Luke Humphries suffered a heavy blow to his Finals Night aspirations after a 6-2 quarter‑final loss to Littler, leaving him with no points from the Liverpool event. Although Humphries scored well, his double conversion faltered at just 18%, allowing Littler to race to a 4-0 lead and maintain control throughout the match.
This defeat marked Humphries’ seventh loss to the world number one in their last eight encounters. Jonny Clayton secured his place in a sixth nightly final by edging a thrilling 6-5 quarter‑final against Gian van Veen. Van Veen started strongly, taking a 2-0 lead, but Clayton’s experience shone through as he weathered several break‑of‑throw swings, produced a massive 121 checkout to level the match at 3-3, and later hit a spectacular 156 finish to move within one leg of victory. Van Veen fought back, breaking again to tie the scores at 5-5, but missed a match dart at the bull.
Clayton responded with a maximum, then hit double 16 under pressure to clinch the win. Clayton also survived a nail‑biting 6-5 quarter‑final against hometown favourite Stephen Bunting. The match was a pure throw‑and‑hold contest; Clayton remained composed, gradually building his confidence and sealing the decider on double 8, much to the disappointment of the partisan Liverpool audience.
This consistency has seen Clayton record his ninth quarter‑final victory in twelve weeks of the Premier League. Elsewhere on Night 12, Gian van Veen opened his evening 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 in a straightforward encounter. The Premier League Darts title remains up for grabs, with defending champion Luke Humphries aiming to retain his crown.
Fans can follow the action each Thursday until May on Sky Sports, or stream the competition and other top‑level sport via NOW.