LUKE LITTLER turned boos into cheers at Liverpool as the Manchester United fan crushed Rob Cross to romp top of the Premier League Darts table.
The Nuke was jeered at the start of the evening at the Merseyside venue before clocking up his fourth weekly victory in style.
RexMan Utd fan Luke Littler cruised to victory in Liverpool[/caption]
AlamyWinner Littler shakes hands with Cross after his 6-2 final win[/caption]
Littler, 17, beat Gerwyn Price 6-3 in his quarter-final opener, then pipped last week’s winner Nathan Aspinall with a 6-5 comeback thriller before overcoming Cross 6-2.
The Warrington wonderkid’s English rival briefly made him sweat in the final on Night 13 of the Prem.
At 5-0 down and facing the tournament’s first whitewash, Cross won two legs in a row.
But the Nuke then took the eighth leg to clinch victory.
Littler even added what fans labelled “box office” drama during his dominant evening – when what appeared to be a cheeky prediction came true.
He seemed to suggest pal Aspinall would miss a crucial dart during their semi-final.
That only helped whip up the atmosphere in the crowd.
And in the end Littler had fans on his side as he moved five points clear of world champion Luke Humphries in the eight-man table.
The top four qualify for the play-offs in May.
Early in the night, Peter Wright’s 6-3 quarter-final loss to Michael van Gerwen had put “Snakebite” out of his misery.
Wright, who has just four points, is now officially out of contention with three weeks remaining.
More to follow….