Luke Littler can’t hide Man Utd disappointment despite successive Premier League wins
Luke Littler admits he was gutted to see Manchester United concede two late goals just as he celebrated another Premier League triumph.
The teenage sensation won his first event in Belfast last week and has backed that up in Manchester. Littler saw off Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall en route to the final, before he beat Gerwyn Price to succeed when his football team fell short.
Whilst Littler was hitting all the right numbers, United were unable to hold onto their lead. The Red Devils trailed 2-0 at Chelsea, then scored three times to find themselves 3-2 in front and closing in on a memorable win. That was before Cole Palmer’s late heroics.
The Blues’ playmaker scored a penalty in the 99th minute before he followed that up with a 101st-minute winner, which deflected off Scott McTominay. Littler saw his team spurn their lead just as he sealed his success with a double top to see off the Welshman.
He said: “I’m glad I won, I just saw United concede two in two minutes. I am glad to win. I have settled into it. The first 5-6 weeks I won the first game and then lost and lost. But winning last week gave me so much confidence coming to Manchester. I saw he was 4-0 up, averaging 123, I was like: ‘Stop it, stop it Gezzy.’ But I then focused and practiced, I left it until the end.
“I go whatever way I feel on the board. If I am comfortable, I will try to go for it. Tonight, we did all our own thing. Last week the practice paid off. Same as tonight. It has paid off. There are 6-7 weeks to go, I have to plug away, get 2-3 points each week, and I am sure I will make the play-offs. The crowd have been amazing.”
Littler’s victory over Price in the final saw him move above world No 1 Luke Humphries in the table and put himself in a great position to qualify for the play-off stage. Before last week’s success in Belfast the teenager was outside of the play-off spots, but has quickly turned that around.
Back in January, Littler visited United’s training base as his profile continues to rise at a rapid rate. He was given a signed shirt by his favourite player, Alejandro Garnacho, who scored two of their three goals in the loss at Chelsea.
The 17-year-old also signalled his ambition to win one of dart’s majors and parade it around Old Trafford. “Hopefully, I can win the world championship or even a major trophy this year – one of the five or six majors that are on offer – and take it to Old Trafford,” he said.
