
Luke Humphries powers to victory as Michael van Gerwen defeats Luke Littler in classic
World number one Humphries, who won the Winmau World Masters title on Sunday, produced a finishing masterclass against Dobey, having earlier beaten Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen at the SSE Arena.
Humphries raced into a 5-0 lead in a one-sided final and although world number 11 Dobey took out a 126-finish in the sixth leg to avoid a whitewash, the outcome was inevitable.
Luke Littler 's first match in defence of his Premier League crown ended in a thrilling 6-5 defeat to Van Gerwen, who gained some revenge for his World Championship final defeat to the teenager last month.
Littler was in sparkling form, averaging 113.91 – a new record in Belfast and the second highest losing average in Premier League history – and produced a 161-checkout on the bull to level the match at 2-2.
But an inspired Van Gerwen, a seven-time Premier League champion, edged a classic, averaging 105.91, while both players landed six 180s.
Van Gerwen failed to back up his opening win as he missed match dart on the bull in his semi-final against Humphries, who landed 140 and 120 checkouts before holding his nerve in a deciding leg to edge through 6-5.
Dobey overcame world number four Rob Cross in the first semi-final, completing checkouts of 170 and 120 on his way to a 6-4 win.
Humphries, who lost to Littler in last year's Premier League final, launched his campaign with a 6-2 defeat of 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Cross opened with a 6-4 win against World Championship semi-finalist Stephen Bunting and Dobey beat world number nine Gerwyn Price by the same score in his quarter-final.
The Premier League moves on to the OVO Hydro in Glasgow for its second night next Thursday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Metro
12 minutes ago
- Metro
Jamie Carragher makes shocking Chelsea prediction as fans call him a 'clown'
Chelsea supporters have called Jamie Carragher a 'clown' after he made a shock prediction about the club for the 2025-26 Champions League. The Blues are back playing in Europe's elite club competition for the first time in two years this season after finishing fourth in the Premier League. Chelsea have made massive improvements under head coach Enzo Maresca with the Blues winning both the Conference League and Club World Cup since the Italian replaced Mauricio Pochettino in July 2024. But Liverpool legend Carragher has angered Chelsea fans this summer by playing down their Club World Cup triumph and suggesting the west London side are no closer to winning the Premier League in 2025-26. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. The football pundit has now further upset Chelsea supporters by predicting the club will flop in the Champions League this season. Carragher has brutally argued that Chelsea won't make it out of the league phase and will fail to qualify for the knockout rounds. 'Hot take on Chelsea from me,' Carragher said on The Overlap. 'I don't think Chelsea will qualify out of the Champions League group stage.' There was a shocked reaction from the rest of the panel after Carragher's claim as fellow pundit Jill Scott responded: 'Oooh, that is a hot take.' Chelsea fans have reacted furiously to Carragher's prediction on social media. '17 years at Liverpool, the self-proclaimed, biggest club in England… and zero PL titles,' @CFC_KTBFFH_COYB posted on X. 'This guy is such a fraud.' 'Wait, have we been grouped already???' @Ohluwatobilobah asked. 'So he has not even seen the clubs we are playing against and already has this opinion. Carragher needs to get checked for bile against Chelsea at this point.' 'It's time we stop taking whatever he's saying seriously,' @Chelseafc_fanpa opined. 'It's clear he's just hating and clearly feel hurt whenever Chelsea win. He's opinion doesn't count, everyone knows he's just chasing clout and every time he talks it's always about Chelsea.' 'This clown is deliberately discrediting @ChelseaFC to gain relevance,' @JP_jamjam13 added. 'Without Chelsea in everything he says, he's as dumb as his face looks.' There are a total of 36 teams across Europe who compete in the league phase of the Champions League. More Trending The top eight automatically qualify for the last 16 while teams who finish ninth to 24th advance to the knockout phase play-offs – an extra knockout round before the last 16 gets underway. In last season's league phase, Liverpool finished top after winning seven of their eight matches while Arsenal were third, Aston Villa were eighth and Manchester City were 22nd. The likes of French side Brest, Scottish club Celtic and Belgian team Club Brugge were all able to finish inside the top 24 last season too. The only clubs to miss out were Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, Girona, Red Bull Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys. MORE: Chelsea make incredible gesture to Diogo Jota's family after tragic death of Liverpool forward MORE: Chelsea hit stumbling block in bid to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United MORE: Glenn Hoddle names 'team to beat' in Champions League and snubs PSG


The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Football Manager 26 gets a reveal trailer – here's everything to know so far
Football Manager 26 has finally been teased by Sports Interactive after months of silence. The game returns after a shock hiatus, as Football Manager 25 was cancelled by the developer in February earlier this year due to development delays. However, the studio has since shared a 30-second video revealing the new game. – With commentary from Peter Drury, it offered a very first glimpse at the brand new in-game engine, now powered by Unity. On top of that, we got a look at the official Premier League license, included for the very first time in the series. That means all the official PL teams, players, kits and more will be available in the upcoming game. The video finishes with a message saying "guess who's back" along with a first look at the Football Manager 26 logo. A match day first look is coming soon, but for now, here's a look at everything we know so far about Football Manager 26. Football Manager 26 trailer The trailer has very little detail, but you can watch the first exciting glimpses of Premier League action below. Back. Better. Building for the season ahead. #FM26 Match Day First Look. Coming soon. — Football Manager (@FootballManager) August 13, 2025 What's new in Football Manager 26? For the uninitiated, the game - unsurprisingly - lets you become a football manager, taking minnows from the depths of the footballing pyramid to the Premier League and beyond. Details are thin on the ground, but Football Manager 26 will have all of the updated teams from the 2025/26 season in the leagues it covers around the world. The Premier League license is included in the game for the first time, meaning that all 20 of the official teams will be represented, including kits, logos, player photos and more. The game engine is moving to Unity, and delays in this move are why Football Manager 25 was cancelled back in February. The new match engine seems to offer the game's best-ever graphics. As in previous years, it's likely that Sports Interactive will add a handful of new teams, but this has not yet been confirmed. Can I pre-order Football Manager 26? Football Manager 26 is not yet available to pre-order. Availability usually coincides with the annoucment of a release date. Which platforms can I play Football Manager 26 on? Previous Football Manager titles have been playable across PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and mobile. The full, traditional game is usually available on PC and Mac. A console-optimised version is usually available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with Touch usually releasing on Nintendo Switch consoles, tablets and mobile. There's also a dedicated mobile game that requires a Netflix subscription to play. Details about Football Manager 26 Console, Touch and Mobile are not yet known. The release date for Football Manager 26 is currently unknown, but usually, the games release in October or November, with Football Manager 2024, the last entry, releasing in November 2023. Football Manager 2024 Can't wait that long? If you want to get up to speed before Football Manager 26 comes out, or just to check out a brilliant football sim, Football Manager 2024 included a whole range of new features at the time that will likely be present in Football Manager 26, including Japanese leagues, player development tweaks, set-piece coaches and plenty more.


Scottish Sun
12 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd ace Toby Collyer, 21, on brink of Championship transfer to work under former Premier League star
The midfielder wants 'as many minutes as possible' this season COLL UP Man Utd ace Toby Collyer, 21, on brink of Championship transfer to work under former Premier League star Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Toby Collyer is on the verge of completing a loan move to West Brom, according to reports. The 21-year-old has made 13 senior appearances for United since joining from Brighton in 2022 and is now looking to get some more minutes under his belt. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Toby Collyer is set to join West Brom on loan from Man Utd Credit: Getty A number of clubs in the Championship have expressed an interest in signing him, including Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday. However, The Athletic has claimed that West Brom are in pole position to seal a loan move. Collyer is now in advanced talks to join the Baggies, with the structure of a deal agreed. West Brom officials believe that he can aid their push for promotion under new boss Ryan Mason. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL TAKE A BAO Man Utd discover opponents for first Carabao Cup 2nd round clash in 11 years The 34-year-old, who was appointed in June, is determinted to make a good impression during his first season as a full-time head coach. Ahead of the Championship campaign, he said: "I'm very excited for the season, obviously, I know a lot about the Championship, having played in it when I was younger. "It's something I have always followed, it's an amazing league and the support throughout is incredible. "For me, it was about finding the right time and finding the right club. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "Obviously, I had been an assistant coach for Tottenham Hotspur for the past four years, and interim manager there as well. "It was just about trying to find and feel a Club that felt right for me, and West Brom really does." Man Utd release new third kit for the 25/26 season Meanwhile, Collyer said recently that he wants to play "as many minutes as possible" and eventually become a first team starter for Man Utd. Last month, he explained: "I think first and foremost I want to be here and play as many games for Man Utd as possible. "I'll sit down with the manager and higher-ups and see what's the best solution for that. "The best way for me to develop, whether it's stay here or go on loan. "The end goal for me is to play as many minutes as possible here, hopefully starting every week. So yeah, I'll sit down with them."