Phil Taylor helps Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler to Premier League Darts title
Luke Humphries thanked Phil Taylor for his 'advice and support' after he beat rival Luke Littler 11-8 to become the 2025 Premier League Darts champion.
In a repeat of last year's final – which Littler won – Humphries got revenge on The Nuke to secure his first Premier League Darts title at London's O2 Arena.
The pair have shared better quality matches but Humphries recovered from a shaky start to power past the current world champion.
Humphries, the 2024 world champion, beat Nathan Aspinall in the semi-finals, while Littler saw off Gerwyn Price by the same scoreline.
The Premier League was the only major trophy still alluding Humphries and he said lifting the trophy 'meant the world to him'.
Humphries, 30, also revealed he beat 18-year-old Littler to the title with the help of 16-time world champion Taylor.
'This one means the world to me, that was the one I was missing,' Humphries told Sky Sports. 'It was the one I wanted, I have done it now.
'If I don't win another title, I am happy as I have done the three hardest ones to do.
'Phil Taylor has given me a lot of support over the last couple of weeks so, Phil, if you are watching, thank you. He have me a lot of advice and that extra support.
'The Premier League is the hardest one to win. The Worlds is prestigious but this is very close to winning the Worlds.
'You can't have four or five bad weeks, you have to be good for 16 weeks on the trot. You have to be at your best.'
On Premier League runner-up Littler, Humphries added: 'I love Luke to bits. He is one of my best mates on tour and he is so good.
'He wasn't at his best tonight, neither was I. I thought the game was going to go away from me at 3-0 down.
'He is a great player, a great lad, and I will get in early before he trounces everyone.'
Littler topped the Premier League Darts table with a record-breaking 27 victories but failed to hit his top form in the final.
'No one likes losing but I am fine,' he said. 'I am glad to say it's over as it has been a tough 17 weeks.
'I have set many records and I don't think they will be broken. I am going to try and break my own records next season.
'I will have a little break now. I will be back next year.'
Reacting to Humphries' Premier League victory, former player and popular commentator Wayne Mardle said: 'Luke is an absolute champion on and off the oche. More Trending
'You will not meet a kinder soul in this game. He has done it the hard way tonight.'
Ex-Premier League champion Glen Durrant added: 'Cool Hand was amazing there.
'The respect that Luke Littler gave him has to be commended. It was a slow burner from Luke Humphries but try to take that smile off his face now.
'There's great respect between the pair of them and I'm sure we will have many more finals.'
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Premier League Darts final 2025: Prize money, start time, format and schedule
MORE: Gerwyn Price makes prediction ahead of Luke Littler Premier League Darts clash
MORE: Luke Littler fires back at rival claiming he is heading for early retirement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Gary Neville names four Man Utd players who must immediately leave this summer
Manchester United are set for a busy summer transfer window with plenty of ins and outs, and Gary Neville has named four players who he expects to leave Old Trafford Gary Neville believes that Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho should all leave Manchester United this summer. Former captain Neville has also named one player who the Red Devils desperately need to keep hold of and 'build around'. The Red Devils have made a fast start to the summer transfer window which opened on Sunday, confirming the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves by paying his £62.5million release clause. United are also confident of landing Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in a £50m deal, fending off interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham. It's hoped that those two attacking additions will transform Ruben Amorim's frontline and it's why Neville sees the aforementioned quartet leaving Old Trafford. Rashford, Sancho and Antony were all loaned out last season while Garnacho was the subject of interest from Chelsea and Napoli in January. But one academy product who Neville doesn't want the Red Devils to sell is Kobbie Mainoo. "On these five I'm pretty certain," he began on the It's Called Soccer podcast. "Marcus Rashford has to leave for him and the club. I think that ship has sailed and he needs to find himself another club. "I would worry that Aston Villa haven't announced that they're keeping him already because I think that could have been an easy deal to do with United if they were going to keep him, so it sounds to me like Villa aren't going to keep him. I would say for Marcus' sake and for United's sake that it feels like that path has come to an end." On Sancho, the ex-United defender continued: "I feel a little bit similarly with him as I do with Marcus. I'd be a bit concerned that Chelsea haven't made the noises that they're going to keep him. "Again, Manchester United have to make sure they part ways with him and, from Jadon's point of view, he has to make sure that he parts ways with Manchester United." Neville feels that Antony's loan spell has been different, labelling Real Betis and La Liga the 'perfect' destination. "I can imagine he was absolutely going under while he was at Old Trafford," he explained. Who else do Manchester United need to sell this summer? Let us know your picks in the comments section. "He's gone to Spain and having seen a couple of players that I played with not do it Old Trafford but do it in Spain… I think he's suited down to the ground and it's been proven. Over there, there's a different tactical awareness, there's a different technical ability and there's a way of playing that's just more suited to players. "The players I'm referring to are players like Kleberson or Diego Forlan. It just didn't quite happen for them but they had really good careers and I think there are players like that who just aren't suited to a league. "I think Antony is perfect for Spain and, again, somebody who Manchester United should facilitate leaving. It's best for Antony and best for the club." Regarding Garnacho, whose future was thrust into the spotlight after being named on the bench for the Europa League final, Neville said: "I think if players are taking on the manager and if players are questioning the manager in public through social media or through other means, the manager has to win. "If the manager doesn't win, the manager has to leave and I don't think that's going to happen this time. That's happened far too many times before. I think Garnacho will leave purely because of that, I think they've had enough. "Garnacho can play in the Premier League, no doubt, but I think he'll love it in Spain, he'll thrive over there, he'll score goals. He'll probably be someone next season that we're all looking back on thinking, 'Why didn't Manchester United keep him?', that type of thing will probably happen, there's an element of that, but I think he has to go. "That's not me throwing my toys out the pram and saying, 'Get him out the club'… no, for him and the club, I think it's right that he goes. Those four players should leave, not just because Manchester United should let them go, but because they should go and find themselves a place in their lives where they can go and play football because it's not at Old Trafford." But the thought of selling Mainoo - who's been at United since the age of six - is too much for Neville, despite Amorim also benching him for the last month's 1-0 loss to Tottenham in Bilbao. "Mainoo, no. That's a step too far," Neville affirmed. "If we can't give Kobbie Mainoo a job in that two in midfield… I look at Mainoo and the way he plays football and I think a top club would want him. Why can't we make him a top player? If he's one of ours and he's shown talent. "I don't know what's gone on there in the last few months. He's obviously had some injuries which has caused him a problem so he needs to stay fit, but I'd like to think he could be one of that two in midfield that Ruben Amorim plays. "It's probably not Casemiro as his partner and it's probably not [Manuel] Ugarte as his partner, it's probably someone else in there who is better than those two, if I'm being honest. But we should be building around Kobbie Mainoo in central midfield and not because he's come through the ranks."
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Tuesday's briefing: Crystal Palace to meet UEFA officials and Mason moves on
Palace must show UEFA's club financial control body (CFCB) that they do not fall foul of its multi-club ownership rules. There has been a change at Tottenham as it was announced on Monday night that first-team coach Ryan Mason had left to take over as West Brom boss, but there is still no news on the future of Ange Postecoglou. 😏 — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 19, 2025 Palace qualified for the Europa League after they stunned Manchester City at Wembley to clinch FA Cup final success on May 17. However, John Textor holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football and he is also the owner of French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1. No individual is allowed to have a significant say in the running of two clubs competing in the same UEFA competition and the CFCB would have to make a ruling on any potential breach. PA understands Palace are confident no rules have been breached owing to the fact that Textor – through Eagle Football – has only a 25 per cent share of voting rights alongside fellow principal owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish. Parish is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. Introducing our new men's first team Head Coach, Ryan Mason! 💙🤍 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 2, 2025 Ryan Mason ended his lengthy association with Tottenham on Monday to accept his first permanent managerial role as West Brom boss. West Brom quickly made Mason, 33, their leading candidate to replace Tony Mowbray after the veteran was dismissed on April 21. Spurs' roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign only ended on May 25 but after a short holiday, Mason decided to accept the advances of the Championship club and agreed a three-year deal to become the youngest head coach in the second tier. Once-capped England midfielder Mason spent 17 years at Tottenham as a player before a further seven years as a coach after he was forced to retire in 2018 after he fractured his skull in a Premier League match. Liverpool continue to pursue a deal to sign Florian Wirtz after their £109million bid was rebuffed by Bayer Leverkusen. A firm offer was made on Friday but the Bundesliga side are holding out for a fee closer to £125m and talks are continuing. Chelsea, meanwhile, completed the signing of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting in time for him to be registered to feature in this month's Club World Cup. Elsewhere, Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has reportedly decided to join Manchester United this summer despite interest from other Premier League clubs. England face Spain in the Women's Nations League in their final competitive fixture before the defence of their European Championship title this summer. Sarina Wiegman will cast an eye over her squad for one last time in Barcelona before she is forced to whittle down her options. However, the Euros-winning head coach admitted on Monday that she was 'pretty close' to knowing her squad before a Group A3 clash which will determine who progresses into the competition's finals. 'We're pretty close. Still of course you want to go to the game tomorrow and make the final decisions, but we're pretty close,' Wiegman revealed. One team 🫶 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 2, 2025 In addition to England's fixture with Spain, already-relegated Scotland are also in Nations League top-tier action as they visit the Netherlands. Wales, assured of bottom spot in Group A4, entertain Italy, whilst Northern Ireland travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B1 and Republic of Ireland could still clinch promotion from Group B2 if they can beat leaders Slovenia.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
The Mathias Kvistgaarden journey to destination Celtic takes in sub snub and soaring £12m price tag
The Hoops are still in the fight to land the Danish sensation but the fee is rocketing after a stunning season in his homeland Danish rising star Mathias Kvistgaarden is making a name for himself for losing defenders in the box. But there was a time he even managed to evade the attention of his manager. Celtic are weighing up a blockbuster £12m bid for the Brondby superstar who is rated as one of the hottest properties in the Superliga. The 23-year-old is attracting attention from all over the continent with West Ham United the latest to keep tabs, along with the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt. But there was a time when the kid wasn't quite so noticeable – such as when he was subbed by his boss by MISTAKE. The frontman was still a teenager coming through the ranks when his gaffer Niels Fredericksen wanted to make some changes to his team. Kvistgaarden saw his number going up so trudged off and took his place on the bench – only for his manager to realise soon after they'd hooked the WRONG player. It was too late to sort out the mix up with the subs board but it wouldn't be long before the hitman started clocking up impressive numbers for the side – and plenty of teams started to notice. Kvistgaarden has long been on the radar of Hoops scouts, who made an initial approach last summer after a year of tracking. Back then the £9m fee seemed a bit steep for a youngster with a lot still to prove and it wasn't any cheaper when they were back sniffing in January after Kyogo headed to Rennes. But he's since kicked on again and enjoyed an even more prolific campaign in his homeland – blasting 23 goals in 38 games to earn a call up for the Denmark national side. Celts will be hoping keeper Kasper Schmeichel will be bending his ear in between the clashes between Northern Ireland and Lithuania, while ex-Hoops ace Matt O'Riley could also put in a word or two. Hoops fans have been hearing about this guy for about two years and they already have their heart set on the big striker heading to Scotland. It's little wonder. Kvistgaarden has been more of a slow burner than an overnight sensation in his homeland but he's now poised to secure his club a record return after seemingly saying his goodbyes to the fans at the end of the season. Former boss Fredricksen admitted he was caught off guard when the kid broke through to his first team four years ago. But he's no longer surprised there's huge interest in his former charge. When Kvistgaarden barged his way into the team in 2022, Fredericksen said: 'It was a big surprise for me. Kvistgaarden did significantly better than I would have dared to hope for. 'It was of course nice and fantastic, but that's what he has done. In the playoffs he proved to be our sharpest striker and will probably end up as our top scorer. 'I didn't see it coming, but hats off to Kvistgaarden. He's taken the Superliga by storm. He works really hard and is a tough striker to play against defenders. 'He has good finishing skills and a good head game, and we actually knew that. But he's taken the step very quickly and he's done it well. It's great.' Former Brondby star David Boysen had a trial at Celtic as a kid but didn't make the cut. But he's convinced Kvistgaarden has what it takes to reach the very top. He said: 'He has everything that is needed – hard work, deep running, determination and hunger. He keeps going and going, and he tops that off by scoring the goals that a striker should score. 'Now he is among the top scorers, and if he can continue with that, it will be top level, and he has so many skills." It's no surprise Celtic are in the hunt – but they will need to come up with the right number.
