Luke Littler’s Angry Reaction to Fans During Premier League Darts Win

Luke Littler’s rise to the top of the darting world is showing no signs of slowing down, and it seems he thrives on the pressure that playing in front of a live crowd brings.

‘The Nuke’ was in Aberdeen on Thursday night for the latest round of the Premier League, looking to mathematically secure a top-four place. The format of the Premier League sees each week take the form of a mini-tournament, with the eight players doing a straight knockout, with points awarded based on performances.

In Aberdeen, Littler defeated Nathan Aspinall 6-5 in the quarter-finals, before overcoming Michael Smith and Rob Cross to take home his fourth nightly title of the campaign. Although the crowd were seemingly on his back as he took on Aspinall.

Fans Against Luke Littler in Aberdeen

Littler nearly blew his chances of reaching the latest final four after initially throwing away the first leg with six missed attempts at the double. He later took control by winning the seventh leg to move into a 4-3 lead for the first time in the game and held throw before the more senior Aspinall fought back to take it to a last-leg decider.

After Aspinall missed double 20 to win the game, Littler was able to wrap up another victory during his debut Premier League campaign, but was clearly unhappy after being jeered by fans in the crowd.

Luke Littler’s response to the raucous fans

A release of emotion followed after clinching a tight victory, as he turned to those criticising him and put a single finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Sky Sports claimed that Littler’s outrage stemmed from some whistles coming from that side of the venue. The teen had also sarcastically applauded them earlier in the contest.

Visibly upset at some of the chants aimed towards him, Littler had a swift change of emotions from the start of the match, which saw him join in with the crowd as they sang along to Aspinall’s walk-on theme, ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers. The pair have a close friendship, and also share the same management company.

Luke Littler Starting to Wind Fans Up

Self-confessed Man United fan Littler is making a habit of being a wind-up merchant and previously rattled Liverpool fans on Merseyside recently by cupping his hands to his ears while being booed. He also taunted the Liverpool fans before his walk-on as he held up his hands to read ‘2-0’, making reference to Liverpool’s defeat to Everton in the Merseyside Derby.

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Luke Littler’s Reaction to Double 20 Attempt During Premier League Win

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler finally won himself a Premier League night, but during the final he had a rather forgettable attempt at double top.

The youngster seems intent on doing things his way, and clearly enjoys the banter with both fans and his fellow pros. Not everyone is a fan of it, however, with Ricardo Pietreczko blasting the young contender for his “arrogance” in their semi-final match at the Belgian Open back in March. The 30-year-old veteran called for a penalty against the teenager following his controversial antics during the game.

With a 3-2 lead and a check out of 147 on the horizon, Littler chose to go for triple 19, double 20, and bullseye. Unfortunately, his second dart missed the board entirely. Despite losing that leg, Littler went on to win the next four legs, earning him a spot in the final against Rob Cross. After the match, a heated exchange between the two players took place as they shook hands.

His opponent that day labelled Littler as arrogant, and expressed his hope that this trait would serve as a lesson for him. “So I appreciated him a lot that you can play such a game at such an age,” Pietreczko stated on his Instagram story. “But I hope the arrogance punishes him.”