Luke Littler got called 'c**p' by Michael van Gerwen after Wayne Mardle noticed issue

Reigning world champion will have mixed memories of his time in Birmingham as the returns to the Utilita Arena. And fans face the prospect of another final between 'The Nuke' and , who called his rival "c**p" following their last encounter at the venue.

Littler, 18, came to Birmingham last year in fine fettle having won the previous two Premier League meets in Belfast and Manchester. However, his game looked decidedly sub-par - at least by his high standards - as he nonetheless beat and to set up a final showdown with 'MVG'.

And it was during his match against Cross that the teenager showed his frustrations by throwing some darts with little care or effort. That led to some pointed remarks from commentator , who suggested The Nuke was at risk of losing his composure altogether.

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"I think his head has gone for a second," said 'Hawaii 501' at the time. "He was annoyed at the second dart falling out and the third dart was just thrown. Luke Littler has just got to watch himself here and recompose. I'm not sure he's actually composed, he's just throwing and they're actually going in. He's lost his mind for a second."

Littler went on to beat both Cross and Humphries by 6-5 scorelines to reach his fourth Premier League final from 11 attempts. But he was unable to find the same fortune against Van Gerwen, who proved less forgiving than his peers in the decider.

'Mighty Mike' excelled to a 6-3 triumph and earned his fourth Premier League event win of 2024. As if that wasn't enough salt in Littler's wound, the three-time champion proceeded to use a four-letter word to describe the youngster's efforts after the match.

"What he did and what he created for the sport of darts I think is phenomenal, but take it easy," said the oche veteran. "With all the respect, he played c*** tonight and I beat him with a c*** game. That's the reality of the moment. I'm happy with that, we need to move on to the next one."

On one hand, it's easy to envision Littler agreeing with that assessment given fans have become accustomed to seeing a certain quality to his play. Not to mention the fact Littler is, after all, a professional asset subject to the same scrutiny as any of his peers.

However, it's also worth considering the Warrington wonder was just 17 at the time and still in the early exchanges of his debut Premier League campaign. Not that one might have guessed as much based on Van Gerwen's critique.

The Nuke, who went on to triumph at the O2 last year, leads the 2025 Premier League standings by four points with just four nights left to go in the regular season. Van Gerwen, meanwhile, is still waiting on his first event win of the year and sits fifth, level on points with Nathan Aspinall directly above him.

That being said, more than a month has passed since Littler last won an event - or even made a final for that matter. And he'll return to the Utilita Arena in Birmingham hoping it yields more fortune than his last Premier League performance at the venue.

He and Van Gerwen line up on opposite sides of the bracket, with Littler set to take on Stephen Bunting first up while MVG facces Cross. But with more experience under his belt this time around, The Nuke may feel better-equipped to go toe-to-toe with his nemesis, whom he defeated in January to clinch his maiden world title.