Luke Littler set for hostile experience after Nathan Aspinall secures Premier League triumph

Luke Littler set for hostile experience after Nathan Aspinall secures Premier League triumph

WATCH NOW: Luke Littler snubbed by darts rival

Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 19/04/2024

- 09:12

Updated: 19/04/2024

- 09:12

Both men were in action on Thursday night

Luke Littler will have to likely cope with a hostile crowd when he plays in Liverpool next week after struggling in the Premier League on Thursday night.

The 17-year-old had gone into the contest hoping to boost his chances of making the play-offs, which are due to take place next month.


But Littler wasn't at his best, with Michael Smith beating the teenager 6-3 in their quarter-final clash.

The teenager has now slipped to second in the standings, with Luke Humphries sitting at the summit on nightly wins.

Luke Littler

Luke Littler is set for the hostile experience of playing in Liverpool after struggling on Night 12

GETTY

And Littler now faces the hostile experience of playing in Liverpool.

A Manchester United fan, the youngster hasn't hesitated to mock Jurgen Klopp's side over the past few weeks.

Littler trolled Klopp back in March after United beat Liverpool 4-3 in a FA Cup classic following a late goal from Amad Diallo.

And he also stuck the knife into Liverpool after they lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League last week, too.

Littler was born in Runcorn and grew up in nearby Warrington and, amid his stunning rise, has been invited to watch United in action.

He has also played darts with players such as Christian Eriksen and Harry Maguire, too.

Yet Littler's love of United, and his connection to Manchester as a whole, will likely count against him when he steps out on enemy territory next week.

The youngster has shown he's capable of playing well when the pressure is on, however.

And few would bet against Littler winning Night 13 given his sensational form over the course of the competition so far.

While Night 12 didn't belong to the teenager, it was a good evening at the office for Nathan Aspinall.

Aspinall won in Rotterdam, beating Smith 6-4 in the final.

The 32-year-old now has 23 points to his name, a total only surpassed by Littler and Humphries.

And Aspinall was delighted with his triumph, telling Sky Sports: "Massive win. The game against Luke Humphries was massive.

"It gave me a shot against Michael. But I've played in Rotterdam twice and won twice!

"Last year I lost out on [the play-offs] on nightly wins.

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Michael Smith

Luke Littler lost to Michael Smith in the Premier League on Thursday night

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"I think 26 could be a push to make it this year. It's fantastic, credit to the all the lads, it's been the most enjoyable Premier League I've been involved in.

"We all get on. There is a lot of banter in the back room. It's a fantastic atmosphere.

"We all want to win but I think if you win this year, you've done well. It's tough."

He added: "The first game was massive for me, Peter [Wright] was struggling really bad.

"It's not nice to see but you have to stamp on them.

Nathan Aspinall

Luke Littler remains ahead of Nathan Aspinall in the Premier League table

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"Then against Luke, I got it back to 4-3 and I saw he wasn't happy, I had to capitalise and I did. In the final, I had nothing to lose because I shouldn't have been in the final really.

"I've got a reputation of being behind, digging deep and winning games. My opponent might be 4-0 up but in my head I'm better so if you can win four legs, so can I. That was a big win against Luke Humphries tonight.

"It was big. Me and Smithy are really good mates. We're going on holiday together next week so it might be a bit awkward.

"I thought I played well and controlled the final. I didn't play amazing but if I'm playing well, not many can beat me."

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