FANS claimed Michael van Gerwen “reminded Luke Littler who the daddy is” with a ruthless display in the World Matchplay Darts.
Littler, 17, suffered a debut defeat at the Winter Gardens on Monday, losing 10-6 in the first round to his Dutch rival.
The teen trailed 5-2 at one stage in the match.
He then averaged 105 to pull it back to 5-4.
But Van Gerwen made it 6-4 after Littler missed three at tops.
And the experienced slinger didn’t look back as he took advantage of the slopping finishing to clinch victory.
It was a commanding performance from Van Gerwen.
And fans felt it was a reminder to Littler that he is still the top dog in darts.
One said: “MVG just gently reminding Littler who the daddy is.”
Another declared: “MVG just had his best performance all season, never write this man off.”
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One noted: “Great performance from MVG, showing he can still boss it.”
Another added: “MVG back to something resembling his best.”
Speaking after his win, Van Gerwen declared: “He’s had quite a lot of experience now of the Premier League and the World Championship.
“Whoever you are going to face, whether it’s Brendan Dolan or Luke Littler or whoever, you need to make sure you are ready and you are sharp.”
Littler added: “He’s won it a fair few times. I had nothing to lose it’s my debut.
“Most professionals prefer playing on the stage instead of behind closed doors.
“I prefer fans being there chanting my name and that’s how it’s always going to be for myself.”
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final – and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
