Luke Littler is known as one of the best darts players in the world and the current World Champion receives a lot of credits for this. But last night during his match with Nathan Aspinall at the Premier League of Darts the 18-year-old had this moment which gives him a lot of critism at the moment.
Littler giving it back to the Leeds fans 😂
He’s got that Bristow about him hasn’t he pic.twitter.com/bmmms8Cu9G
— DartsAnonymous (@anonymous_darts) May 8, 2025
In Leeds, ‘The Nuke’ once again failed to win over the crowd—a reaction that clearly got under his skin. When Aspinall took a 4-3 lead, the match seemed all but over. He had six darts to extend his advantage but couldn’t convert. The reigning world champion took full advantage of those missed opportunities, landing his favored double 10 before making the now widely discussed gesture.
The incident hasn’t done him any favors. A day later, social media is flooded with criticism, marking a rare moment where the young star finds the public mood turning against him. Having ridden a wave of praise for months, Littler now faces the challenge of dealing with backlash.
That said, he showed little sign of being fazed. Littler came back to win the match 6-4, and later that night, he defeated Gerwyn Price with an impressive 104 average to reach the final, where he faced his longtime rival, Luke Humphries.
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Humphries had earlier dispatched both Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting—though not without resistance. The night ended in dramatic fashion, with the final going down to a deciding leg, where Humphries held his nerve and claimed the win.
Still, Littler had some consolation: despite missing out on the night’s victory, he remains top of the Premier League standings, ahead of Humphries in second, Price in third, and Van Gerwen in fourth.