Michael van Gerwen was forced to eat his words on Thursday night when he was comfortably beaten by Luke Littler in the Premier League. The Dutchman took aim at the teenager last week by claiming that his newly-found rival is ‘never comfortable’ when they face off.

However, when the pair clashed in Manchester on Thursday, it was Littler who truly looked the most at ease in the Premier League. The 17-year-old was far from at his best in the quarter-final tie but still dispatched Van Gerwen in a relatively simple fashion.

Littler secured a 6-3 win on home soil, despite missing several simple – for his standards – shots which could have seen the game wrapped up sooner. Van Gerwen was similarly out of sorts, threatening to stage a comeback on several occasions before falling short.

As a result, the 34-year-old’s comments made in Belfast when he was beaten by Littler look all the more foolish. Speaking last week after his defeat, Van Gerwen said: “Right at the beginning of that match it went wrong. I can see he’s not comfortable and then I’m just too preoccupied with him instead of concentrating on my own game.

“But there was still more in it. I have now played Luke six times, three of which I lost and three of which I won. Every time he won against me it was not convincing, while he does against other players.

“I just have to take advantage of that, which is still a downside that it didn’t work out tonight. It’s still fighting for the playoffs. I just have to see for myself that I’m well prepared and then that shouldn’t be a problem.”