Premier League Darts: Luke Littler beaten by Michael van Gerwen in night 11 final in Birmingham
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Michael van Gerwen has now won four and lost four of his matches against Luke Littler in 2024
Seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen beat Luke Littler 6-3 to win his fourth Premier League event of the season in the night 11 final in Birmingham.
The Dutchman had won three nights on the spin from night two to four, but had been eliminated in five of the past six quarter-finals.
He showed glimpses of his best to beat Littler, who was aiming for a record-equalling third successive night win.
Littler tops the table ahead of world champion Luke Humphries and Van Gerwen.
All three are in a strong position to reach the play-offs at London's O2 Arena on 23 May.
"I had to go really deep tonight," the 34-year-old Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.
"When you have to grind and dig deep, it is always nice. Nights like this give you confidence, it does something for you. The fighting spirit in my body is still there, I'm feeling good and confident.
"I'm going to win more than four nights."
It was a strange night in Birmingham, with the atmosphere slightly subdued compared to previous weeks, and differing levels of darts on show.
Littler's 6-5 semi-final win over Humphries was sublime, with the teenager making it six successive wins against the man who beat him in January's World Championship final.
The 17-year-old trailed 2-0 before winning five legs in a row, but Humphries forced a decider and had the throw but Littler, who averaged 107.23, claimed it.
Van Gerwen, who has the past two Premier League titles, overcame Nathan Aspinall 6-4 in the quarter-finals and, despite only averaging 93.28, beat Michael Smith by the same margin in the semi-finals.
There were moments of brilliance in the final, including a 125 checkout from Van Gerwen, but there were plenty of scrappy darts with the Dutchman averaging 90.38 and Littler 88.12.
They exchanged four successive breaks in leg three to six, before Van Gerwen claimed three in a row to seal the success.
It was a much-needed return to form for the three-time world champion, with his play-off place starting to look in doubt after the poor run.
Elsewhere, there was a ninth quarter-final exit for Peter Wright, with the Scot still firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.
Rob Cross lost a decider against Littler in the quarter-finals to lose in the opening round for the fifth week in a row, while last week's beaten finalist Gerwyn Price is also being cut adrift from the play-off spots in seventh after a first-round defeat to Smith.
Premier League Darts night 11 results
Quarter-finals
Peter Wright 4-6 Luke Humphries
Rob Cross 5-6 Luke Littler
Gerwyn Price 3-6 Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Semi-finals
Humphries 5-6 Littler
Smith 4-6 Van Gerwen
Final
Littler 3-6 Van Gerwen
Premier League Darts table
Premier League Darts format and points system
The Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.
Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks 1-7 and 9-15, with weeks 8 and 16's fixtures done off the table. It means we'll get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.
Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.
The top four players after the group-stage progress to the play-off night at London's O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19 leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.
If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.
Premier League Darts night 12 order of play
18 April in Rotterdam
Quarter-finals
Michael Smith v Luke Littler
Rob Cross v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen v Luke Humphries