Luke Littler silenced a hostile Liverpool crowd to claim Premier League Darts glory on night 12.
The teenage darts sensation overcame boos throughout the evening, securing victories against Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Jonny Clayton.
The triumph on the Mersey held particular significance for Littler, who often faces an unwelcoming reception in Liverpool.
His allegiance to Manchester United and past social media jabs at Anfield’s club fortunes are well-known.
Furthermore, the atmosphere towards the teenager has recently soured following a public spat with Gian van Veen in Manchester, leading to a full-force reception at the M&S Bank Arena.
However, Littler responded by letting his darts do the talking, clinching his third nightly victory of the campaign and significantly strengthening his position for the play-offs at the O2 in May.
Facing a chorus of boos during his on-stage interview, he said: “It’s been a good night. I am very happy with myself.
“It is what it is, I have won, we move on to next week.
“Rotterdam was way, way louder than this, this week was nothing compared to last week. I have got to forget about it all, I was definitely focused tonight, I wanted to win and that’s what I have done.”
The teenager had to show his grit to come through a testing trio of matches, first dispatching the defending champion Humphries 6-2 with a solid performance before having to dig deep against Van Gerwen.
The Dutchman put in a majestic performance in the semi-final, averaging 107.54 and firing nine 180s, but Littler rallied from 3-1 down to win a final-leg decider 6-5.
He then finished the job against Clayton, who was going for a third successive nightly win, producing his best display of the evening and sprinting to a 6-1 finish.
His victory over Humphries has left the defending champion in danger of not making it to the O2 while Van Gerwen strengthened his chances.
