Littler Cruises To Premier League Win In Liverpool

It was a great night for Luke Littler as the two-time world champion overcame a hostile Liverpudlian atmosphere to win night 12 of the Premier League and close the gap on leader Jonny Clayton to just three points - and become odds-on favourite with Matchbook (20/21) for the 2026 crown.

Littler has increasingly found himself on the wrong end of booing from fans and it was no different here as the Warrington man (and lifelong Manchester United supporter) took heat from the capacity crowd all night.

But the 19-year-old had no problems dusting the attention down and racing into a 4-0 lead over former world champ Luke Humphries in their quarter-final. Humphries did land 96 and 104 checkouts to give himself hope at 5-2 but Littler wasn’t to be denied as he booked his place in the last four.

Michael van Gerwen was waiting for him in the semis and the Dutchman proved a much sterner test, winning three legs on the spin after Littler took the opener, to lead 3-1.

But a superb 100 checkout from Littler, featuring back-to-back double tops, got him back into the game, before the two traded legs right up until the decider.

And that’s when Littler turned the screw. Opening throws of 142 and 180 put him firmly in the driver’s seat and he didn’t let that advantage slip, knocking a 46 checkout to book his place in the final against table-topping Clayton.

And it was one-way traffic in the final as Littler came flying out the traps to lead 5-0 in the best-of-11 clash. A checkout of 61 from Clayton helped avoid a whitewash, but he was merely delaying the inevitable as Littler clinched victory with a simple 58 finish to seal a vital win.

That victory now sees Littler’s outright Premier League title odds squeeze below even-money, with Matchbook offering a best-price 20/21 for the youngster to add a second title to his 2024 success.