Nathan Aspinall is oh so close to finishing 148 and Luke Littler punishes the man from Stockport.

Doesn't look like this night will be Aspinall's night.

Frustration beginning to show for Nathan Aspinall, who can't get close to breaking the Luke Littler throw - he'll need to do it twice if he's going to win this best-of-11 match.

Luke Littler finds double 14 for a 4-1 lead.

John Part
Former PDC world champion on Sky Sports

Maybe because Nathan knows Luke so well, he is struggling to find the venom to face him. You need to be at your best against Littler because he is a machine.

Nathan Aspinall is arguably the form player in the Premier League at the moment, reaching the final in Newcastle before winning in Exeter last Thursday.

A rare miss at double 10 for Luke Littler and Aspinall takes out 56 in routine fashion to get his first leg of the night.

John Part
Former PDC world champion on Sky Sports

I find it odd that Nathan didn't seem excited by the possibility to win a leg there. He kind of grimaced.

Luke Littler has an uncanny knack of starting legs with a maximum, immediately putting his opponent on the back foot. It happens again in leg three.

Aspinall is gifted a chance to take out 90 for a hold of throw, but makes a mess of it.

3-0 Littler.

A 180 to start leg two for Luke Littler but Nathan Aspinall keeps pace.

Littler misses a 164 checkout on the bull, then Aspinall misses a 130 checkout on the bull, and Littler finds the double five to wrap up the second leg.

Image source, Getty Images

I was working on our darts coverage on Sunday when Luke Littler and Damon Heta treated us to an incredible UK Open quarter-final, which the Australian narrowly won.

The teenager looks to be carrying on that form, winning the first leg against Nathan Aspinall fairly easily on throw with a 72 finish.

Luke Littler signs a few autographs as he walks to the stage and looks pretty focused up there.

Nathan Aspinall follows him to the strains of "Mr Brightside". The Brighton crowd loves it, singing almost the entire song while the players warm up.

Imagine how good he'd be if he practised?

Nathan Aspinall and Luke Littler have been speaking to Sky Sports before their upcoming quarter-final...

Aspinall: "I'm really confident, I thought I played well last weekend and my form is coming back. My scoring is good, my finishing is getting better. It should be a great game."

Littler: "There's no point in practising - I just come here a few hours before and get my match practice in."

Consistency has been the name of the game of Luke Littler in his debut Premier League campaign. The 17-year-old is yet to win a night, but has reached a final and three semi-finals to sit second in the table at the start of play in Brighton.

It needed a world-class display from Australia's Damon Heta to end Littler's hopes of a first major ranking title at the UK Open on Sunday.

His quarter-final opponent here is Nathan Aspinall, who has bounced back from three successive defeats to reach the final in Newcastle and then clinch victory in Exeter.

He was the Premier League runner-up in 2020 and it may still be early days in this competition, but he knows exactly how to stay the distance.

After three straight night wins, that's now two consecutive quarter-final defeats for Michael van Gerwen.

His six-point lead at the top of the table will definitely be reduced by the close of play - but by how much?

Wayne Mardle
Former World Championship semi-finalist on Sky Sports

Image source, PA Media

That was a bit of class to win it from Rob Cross.

What a way to win it!

Rob Cross hits 19, treble 20 and then the bullseye for a superb 129 finish that completes an excellent win over Premier League leader Michael van Gerwen.

It just didn't happen for Van Gerwen in Brighton tonight, but Cross won't care one jot about that.

It'll be Cross v Luke Humphries in the first semi-final a little later on.

Laura Turner
Ex-Women's World Championship quarter-finalist on Sky Sports

With the quality of this field, it could come down to leg-difference at the end of the group stages. So every leg counts.

A comfortable hold of throw for Michael van Gerwen and it's 5-2 now. Four more in a row needed for the Dutchman.

Ah, there's the first Michael van Gerwen 180 to make the perfect start to the sixth leg.

But then - my word - at his next visit, all three travel into the treble five bed.

It's all going wrong for Van Gerwen and Rob Cross is there again to take advantage.

One leg away now.

Wayne Mardle
Former World Championship semi-finalist on Sky Sports

This is relentless from Rob Cross, and it's enough bad performances in a row to annoy Michael van Gerwen.

Image source, Getty Images

Into leg five and Michael van Gerwen hasn't hit a 140 yet, let alone a 180. That is unthinkable for the three-time world champion.

He gets to a double first and misses a shot at tops, allowing Cross to take out 74 for a 4-1 lead.

Time running out for the league leader...