Michael van Gerwen stayed strong to seal a 6-5 victory over Luke Littler and win Night Two of BetMGM Premier League Darts in Berlin.
Littler got off to a perfect start, taking out a 12-dart leg for an early break but the Green Machine fought back, going 2-1 in front.
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Both then continued to average over 100 and throw brilliant darts, Littler holding his throw to take the match to 5-5 and a deciding leg.
It was then heartbreak for the 17-year-old as, after setting himself up on D10, he missed two match darts, allowing van Gerwen to return and snatch the match on D4.
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“Sometimes I have the darts but to have games against Luke Littler is always good,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports Darts after his win.
“I think it was a great night, the way how everyone played, I think it was a fantastic night for darts.
“I am really pleased with my own performance today. Finally today I was able to answer him at the final push and that is really important for me.
“I played really well and in the important moments I was able to keep the pressure on my opponents.
“That was a key moment for me today. There is more to come.”
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Van Gerwen produced a sensational deciding leg against Michael Smith to book his spot in the final.
The Dutchman was imperious through the first portion of the game, taking a 4-1 lead over Bullyboy.
Smith fought back to bring the match to 5-5, four legs on the spin helping him on his way, but two maximums in the last-leg decider sealed the victory for MVG.
In the opening quarter-final of the night, the Night Two winner fought back and took five legs in a row to claim his first Premier League victory of 2024 over Nathan Aspinall.
The Asp had got off to a perfect start, taking the first three legs and averaging over 112, but Van Gerwen showed his class to come back, break the throw twice, and take the 6-4 win.
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Littler defeats World Championship rivals on route to final
Littler claimed a spot in his first Premier League final with a close 6-5 victory over Luke Humphries in a replay of the World Darts Championship final.
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Humphries looked the stronger of the two at first but Littler kept scoring well and worked his way back into the match.
With a deciding leg, and the world champion missing a crucial T20, Littler set himself up beautifully with three T18s for his favourite D10 for the win.
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Littler had previously held his nerve in a rematch of the World Championship quarter-final to claim a 6-5 victory over Rob Cross.
The momentum kept swinging between the two, Littler finding a 130 checkout on his way to a 3-1 lead, Cross fighting back with a 144 as the match came to a head at 5-5.
Littler showed maturity beyond his years to stay calm and take the match on D15 and add some more points to his tally.
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Elsewhere, in a replay of the Night One final, Smith fought back from three legs down and two breaks of throw to take a 6-5 win over Gerwyn Price.
Both players reeled in the ‘Big Fish’ in a sensational game, the St Helens man showing his class and form to book a semi-final spot.
Humphries had also shown his skill to win a hard-fought contest against Peter Wright, taking a 6-4 victory.
It was arguably Wright’s strongest performance for a while, finding a break of throw, but even two maximums in the 10th leg weren’t enough as Humphries booked his semi-final spot.
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He will be hoping a home crowd on his side on Night Three in Glasgow can see him finally get some points on the board.
What’s next?
Premier League Darts now heads to the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Thursday February 15.
Night Three will open with Rob Cross vs Michael Smith, before Michael van Gerwen plays Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall faces Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price is up against Luke Littler.
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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday February 8 as Berlin is the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
