Luke Humphries was left taken aback after Michael Smith twice cut his own forehead with his darts during a bruising Grand Slam of Darts quarter-final in Wolverhampton on Friday night.
The unusual scenes unfolded as Smith battled to stay in the match, only for his mounting frustration to lead him into a habit that literally drew blood.
Humphries spotted the injury mid-match and was heard asking Smith, “What happened to your head?” after noticing a red streak forming near his hairline.
Smith had been tapping the sharp point of his dart against his forehead while thinking through his next visit to the board, and the repeated motion eventually left a visible scratch.
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By the time the pair embraced at the end of the contest, a second trickle of blood had appeared.
Commentator Dan Dawson explained the cause live on Sky Sports: “Michael Smith, when he is frustrated, when he is worried, when he is trying to figure things out on the dartboard, he will take the point of his dart and he scratches his forehead.
“He has done that so much he has drawn blood.”
The cuts added an unexpected layer of drama to a match that had already swung sharply in momentum.
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Luke Humphries was left taken aback after Michael Smith twice cut his own forehead with his darts during a bruising Grand Slam of Darts quarter-final in Wolverhampton on Friday night
|PDCDARTS
Smith fell behind early, but roared back to level at 7-7 in the race to 16 legs and briefly threatened to turn the contest on its head.
He even came agonisingly close to a nine darter in the eleventh leg, just missing double 12 to the disappointment of the Wolverhampton crowd.
Humphries, though, rediscovered his rhythm and surged clear, winning nine of the next 10 legs to seal a commanding 16-8 victory.
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SENSATIONAL HUMPHRIES INTO THE SEMIS!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 14, 2025
What a performance! 👏
Luke Humphries runs out an emphatic 16-8 winner against Michael Smith, averaging almost 105 to storm into the semi-finals!
📺 https://t.co/INctXCEkdB #GSOD | QF pic.twitter.com/ugUTf6L4UI
It was an impressive showing from the 2023 champion, especially considering he suffered a back spasm earlier in the week and struggled even to lift his head from the pillow on Wednesday morning.
The world No 1 averaged 105 and set the tone immediately by breaking throw in the opening leg.
He went into the first interval 4-1 ahead with a 105.13 average, more than 13 points higher than Smith’s.
Despite the intensity of the match, the pair shared a smile and a hug at the next break, even as Humphries held a 7-3 lead.
After the restart both players briefly chased perfection again.
Smith faltered on his ninth dart and Humphries, who hit a nine-darter against Smith in the group stage, missed his seventh straight treble 20.
Luke Humphries remains on course for glory at the Grand Slam of Darts
| PASmith, returning to major action after a difficult run of injuries, showed flashes of his old form and battled hard. He levelled at 7-7 and later missed the bull for a 164 checkout before
Humphries struck a brilliant 138 to reassert control.
From there, Humphries’ consistency and composure carried him comfortably to the finish line, sealing the match on double nine.
Humphries now advances to Sunday’s semi finals, where he will face Gerwyn Price.
How the showdown remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, defending champion Luke Littler remains in contention for the prize - with the 18-year-old poised to battle Josh Rock on Saturday night.