It wasn’t quite the homecoming Luke Littler might have been dreaming about when he went to bed last night.
The Nuke, 18, was back in Manchester for the latest leg of Premier League Darts on Thursday evening – facing a tricky quarter-finals clash against Gian van Veen. It was a repeat of the World Championship final, which Littler won in emphatic fashion.
However, it would be a change of fortunes in Manchester, with Van Veen racing into a 4-1 lead – one set away from glory. Littler needed something very special and he started to dig deep to claw his way back into the match.
And with Van Veen missing a match dart, Littler found himself level at 5-5. The World Champion had a chance to complete the comeback, but fluffed his lines on D7.
Van Veen had the chance to capitalise, but went inside on D15 – which sparked some heated words between the pair. The Dutchman turned around and glared at the hometown hero.
And Littler responded by throwing his arms into the air, before gesturing at the crowd – who started to boo Van Veen. There was still a match to be won, however, and Van Veen was able to check-out and beat the Nuke.
One fan fumed: “Of all people, he tries picking out Gian van Veen, the most innocent and respectful man on tour, what an absolute t***** Luke Littler is.”
“Littler hasn’t covered himself in any glory at all there, behaved like a complete muppet,” a second admitted. While a third shared: “Littler pathetic there, get a grip…”
And another added: “Littler has made himself look like a right mug just now.”