Michael van Gerwen qualified for the Unibet Premier League Darts play-offs as he returned to the top with a comfortable 8-4 victory over Gary Anderson.
The five-time champion took advantage of Nathan Aspinall's draw with James Wade to leapfrog the Stockport ace and he's now four points clear of fifth-placed Dimitri Van den Bergh, who was beaten by Peter Wright in the final match of the night.
That result sealed MVG's place in the top four with two rounds of regular season fixtures to play because the Belgian plays fellow top-four contender Jonny Clayton on the final night of the season - meaning the Dutchman can't drop lower than fourth.
Despite two ton-plus finishes from Anderson, who was on target with an impressive 57% of his checkout attempts, Van Gerwen averaged 98 in a workmanlike display to come out on top in the battle of former Premier League champions.
"It's been a long wait for me to win in front of fans but it feels good now it is finally here," said Van Gerwen, who ended Anderson's hopes of a top four finish in the process.
πͺπππ§ π πππ!
β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 25, 2021
Sensational 11-dart break from Van Gerwen there as his average tops a ton and he now leads Anderson 4-3! pic.twitter.com/JnOozdjuCF
"I feel good again, but you have to show it on the stage. After last night's disappointment it was important for me to put it right tonight.
"Now I can start to focus and work towards the semi-finals. I'm going to keep enjoying playing in front of the crowds for the next couple of nights and get myself ready for Friday when I hope to lift this title again."
Van Gerwen knocked Nathan Aspinall off top spot after the 2020 Premier League runner-up was held to a 7-7 draw by James Wade.
A win for Aspinall would have seen him book his place in Friday's finale, but after going 7-5 up he was pegged back by Wade to share the points.
While a point was not enough to keep Wade's hopes of a Play-Off spot alive, Aspinall was left frustrated with the result and will have to wait another night to secure his place in the semi-finals.
"It wasn't to be tonight," Aspinall conceded. "I'm gutted but I think a draw was probably a fair result.
"It would mean everything for me to get over the line and reach the Play-Offs. After the 12 months I've had it would prove to a lot of people that I'm not a flash in the pan.
"I want to keep proving people wrong, and it's up to me now to go out and finish the job."
π£π’ππ‘π§!
β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 25, 2021
A wry smile on the face of Nathan Aspinall as he secures himself at least a point over James Wade!
This match is marvellous. pic.twitter.com/tQCQF9cuTC
Jose de Sousa took another big step towards securing a final four place in his debut campaign as he defeated Jonny Clayton 8-5.
De Sousa, who has not suffered defeat since Night Eight, racked up a third successive win against fellow-newcomer Clayton despite hitting just three 180s.
Known for his prolific scoring, on this occasion it was De Sousa's 57% checkout success rate that helped him to the winning line to cement third place in the table.
"Two points at this stage of the season is massive for me," said De Sousa.
"My dream is to win the Premier League in my first year playing in this tournament, and I still have a chance to do that so I am very happy right now.
"I know I need to keep playing at this level to have a chance to do that so I have to make sure I stay focussed for the rest of the week."
ππ‘π’π§πππ₯ ππ¬π²!
β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 25, 2021
Anything you can do...
Back-to-back 106 finishes in this match as Jose de Sousa pins tops for his first ton-plus finish! pic.twitter.com/97qiTTlFiw
Peter Wright kept his feint Play-Off hopes alive with an 8-5 victory over Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Wright, who began the week knowing he needed to win all of his remaining league matches to stand a chance of reaching the Play-Offs, made it back-to-back victories against Van den Bergh as he averaged 102.82.
The Scot hit eight of his 14 checkout attempts, including two ton-plus finishes, to inflict a fourth defeat in five matches upon Van den Bergh, whose Play-Off dream remains in the balance with two matches to play.
"I'm still on a high with having the crowds back," said Wright. "I didn't play as well as I wanted to but I did enough to get the win.
"When I know I need to win legs I find a way to do it, even against the best players in the world. I've kept myself alive in the competition for another night at least.
"Every game feels like a knockout game for me now because I know I can't afford anymore slip-ups. I will keep fighting."
ππππππ π½πΌπΎπ ππ πππ ππππ
β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 25, 2021
Peter Wright π€ playing in front of a crowd.
Back-to-back wins for Wright keeps him in contention for the Play-Offs are sealing a HUGE 8-5 victory over Dimitri Van den Bergh! pic.twitter.com/yuFPOrEXmL
Wednesday will see the penultimate night of league phase action take place, as Clayton takes on Wright in the opening game of the night, before Van den Bergh seeks a return to winning ways against Wade.
Aspinall and De Sousa can then secure Play-Off berths with victories over Anderson and Van Gerwen respectively in the final two matches of the evening.
2021 Premier League Darts Table
- Michael van Gerwen P 14 W 8 D 3 L 3 LegD +20 Pts 19
- Nathan Aspinall P 14 W 7 D 4 L 3 LegD +20 Pts 18
- Jose de Sousa P 14 W 7 D 4 L 3 LegD +17 Pts 18
- Jonny Clayton P 14 W 7 D 2 L 5 LegD +8 Pts 16
- Dimitri Van den Bergh P 13 W 6 D 3 L 4 LegD +5 Pts 15
- Peter Wright P 14 W 5 D 3 L 6 LegD -9 Pts 13
- Gary Anderson P 14 W 5 D 2 L 7 LegD -11 Pts 12
- James Wade P 14 W 4 D 4 L 6 LegD -5 Pts 12
- Rob Cross P 9 W 3 D 1 L 5 LegD -3 Pts 7 (ELIMINATED)
- Glen Durrant P 9 W 0 D 0 L 9 LegD -39 Pts 0 (ELIMINATED)
- The top four after 16 games qualify for the end of season play-offs, where the title will be decided
- Players earn two points for a win, and one for a draw.
- When players are tied on points, leg difference is used first as a tie-breaker, after that legs won against throw and then tournament average.
Premier League Darts 2021: Tuesday results and remaining schedule
Night 14, May 25
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- James Wade 7-7 Nathan Aspinall
- Jonny Clayton 5-8 Jose de Sousa
- Gary Anderson 4-8 Michael van Gerwen
- Peter Wright 8-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Night 15, May 26
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Jonny Clayton v Peter Wright
- James Wade v Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Gary Anderson v Nathan Aspinall
- Jose de Sousa v Michael van Gerwen
Night 16, May 27
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Gary Anderson v James Wade
- Nathan Aspinall v Jose de Sousa
- Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
- Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
Play-Offs Night, May 28
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Finals (Best of 21 legs)
