Premier League Darts: MVG sinks Taylor in Rotterdam

The world number one trailed 3-0 as Taylor looked to silence the raucous Ahoy Arena but the home favourite came roaring back to win seven of the next eight legs for a valuable victory.

The result ends Van Gerwen's three-game losing streak against Taylor while he remains unbeaten in this season's Premier League and trails leader Peter Wright by one point, with a game in hand to be played in Manchester next week. 

Earlier, Raymond van Barneveld had also thrilled the capacity crowd as he thrashed Gary Anderson 7-2 to boost his hopes of a top-four finish.

The Dutch legend was a 3/1 underdog to beat Anderson, who had won their previous 11 meetings, but he thrived on his 'Barney Army' of orange support to produce a stunning display.

Van Barneveld averaged 103.71, hit five 180s and produced a superb 156 checkout that brought the 10,000 fans to their feet as he climbed up to fourth in the table.

Peter Wright ensured he would remain top of the table after a 7-4 win over Dave Chisnall.

The UK Open champion was unable to produce the same kind of form that darts fans have witnessed from him in recent weeks but he was never behind in a contest he comfortably controlled.

James Wade ended a three-game winless run as he defeated rock-bottom Jelle Klaasen 7-3. 

Despite being roared on by the capacity crowd, Klaasen struggled in all areas of the game and Wade took full advantage to climb up to third.

Like Klassen, second-bottom Kim Huybrechts is also in grave danger of relegation at Judgement Night in two weeks' time after he lost 7-3 to Adrian Lewis, who will now have ambitions of finishing in the top four.

Winless Huybrechts is level on just three points with Klaasen, with both men a further three behind Chisnall.

Below is a full statistical breakdown of each match as well as player reaction while we also rank their performances at the bottom of this article as well as provide the updated Premier League table.

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James Wade 7-3 Jelle Klaasen

James Wade ended a three-game winless run in the Betway Premier League as he defeated rock-bottom Jelle Klaasen 7-3 in Rotterdam on Thursday night.

Despite being roared on by a capacity crowd inside the sold-out Ahoy Arena, Klaasen struggled in all areas of the game and Wade took full advantage to move up to third in the table.

The Dutchman only managed an average of 86.21 and hit just three of his 15 attempts at doubles, as his troubled season continued while Wade, who didn't hit a single 180, was far more clinical with an impressive checkout percentage of 64%.

"Jelle didn't play as he can, and if you give me a little sniff I'll have the lot," said Wade. "It's nice to be British in Holland and win!"  

Three-dart averages
Wade: 94.32
Klaasen: 86.21

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Wade: 20
Klaasen: 9
140+ thrown
Wade: 5
Klaasen: 6
180+ thrown
Wade: 0
Klaasen: 1

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wade: N/A
Klaasen:  N/A

Checkout percentage
Wade: 63.64% (7/11)
Klaasen: 20% (3/15)

Peter Wright 7-4 Dave Chisnall

Peter Wright ensured he would remain top of the Premier League table after a 7-4 victory over Dave Chisnall in Rotterdam.

The UK Open champion was unable to produce the same kind of form that darts fans have witnessed from him in recent weeks but he was never behind in a contest he comfortably controlled.

Wright's fine 120 checkout saw him race into a 2-0 lead and although Chizzy was able to battle back to restore parity, the Scotsman rattled off three legs on the spin to open up a 5-2 advantage.

A superb 123 checkout from Chisnall kept the match alive only for Wright to take two of the next three to take the points. 

Wright told www.pdc.tv: "It wasn't a great performance but it's two points and you'll take that against Dave because he's a powerful scorer. 

"The crowd were amazing and it was fantastic to play in front of a crowd like that because I loved it. It was incredible when they sang my name - it's a shame I didn't put on more of a show for them but I got the win."  

Three-dart averages
Wright: 93.79
Chisnall: 90.52

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Wright: 12
Chisnall: 10
140+ thrown
Wright: 10
Chisnall: 6
180+ thrown
Wright: 2
Chisnall: 2

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wright: 120
Chisnall: 123

Checkout percentage
Wright: 36.84% (7/19)
Chisnall: 40% (4/10)

Raymond van Barnveld 7-2 Gary Anderson

Raymond van Barneveld thrilled the sold-out crowd in Rotterdam as he thrashed Gary Anderson 7-2 - a result which also boosted his hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League.

The Dutch legend was a 3/1 underdog to beat Anderson, who had won their previous 11 meetings, but he thrived on his 'Barney Army' of orange support inside the Ahoy Arena to produce a stunning display.

Van Barneveld averaged 103.71, hit five 180s and produced a superb 156 checkout that brought the 10,000 fans to their feet as he climbed up to fourth in the table.

Anderson didn't seem fazed by the atmosphere as he averaged over 100 himself and only missed one shot at a double but Barney's display gave him few chances to make his mark on the encounter.

Van Barneveld told www.pdc.tv: "It was massive for me, a brilliant night. Gary has beaten me the last 11 times, but I kept believing in myself and tonight everything went well.

"I was finishing well, and in the end a 7-2 result against the world number two is a big effort. Gary's hard to beat and a tough competitor but I know I can beat anyone.

"To play in front of your home crowd means a lot and I didn't want to let them down. I'm really happy with this victory and I believe I can make the play-offs."

Three-dart averages
Van Barneveld: 103.71
Anderson: 102.69

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Van Barneveld: 9
Anderson: 11
140+ thrown
Van Barneveld: 7
Anderson: 11
180+ thrown
Van Barneveld: 5
Anderson: 0

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Barneveld: 156
Anderson: 108

Checkout percentage
Van Barneveld: 70% (7/10)
Anderson: 66.67% (2/3)

Kim Huybrechts 3-7 Adrian Lewis

Second-bottom Kim Huybrechts is in grave danger of relegation at Judgement Night in two weeks' time after he lost 7-3 to Adrian Lewis.

Winless Huybrechts is level with Klaasen on just three points at the foot of the table, with both men a further three behind Chisnall.

The Belgian held a 3-1 lead over Lewis before a heated exchange of words on stage ensued and from that point Huybrechts seemed to lose his cool as Jackpot won six legs in succession.

Lewis not only boosted his survival hopes with victory but also but himself firmly in the mix for a top-four spot.

Three-dart averages
Huybrechts: 90.17
Lewis: 96.18

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Huybrechts: 9
Lewis: 13
140+ thrown
Huybrechts: 6
Lewis: 5
180+ thrown
Huybrechts: 3
Lewis: 5

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Huybrechts: N/A
Lewis: 126

Checkout percentage
Huybrechts: 60% (3/5)
Lewis: 33.33% (7/21)

Phil Taylor 4-7 Michael van Gerwen

Michael van Gerwen came from 3-0 down to defeat Phil Taylor 7-4 in front of a sold-out crowd in Rotterdam on Thursday night.  

Taylor was aiming to silence the raucous Ahoy Arena and got off to a dream start but the home favourite came roaring back to win seven of the next eight legs and claim a valuable victory.

Van Gerwen only managed a single 180 but an average of 100.5 and a formiddable checkout percengate of just under 78% meant Taylor had few chances once his arch-rival recovered from his sluggish start.

The result ends Van Gerwen's three-game losing streak against Taylor while he remains unbeaten in this season's Premier League and trails leader Peter Wright by one point.

The Dutchman has also played a game less having missed the round of matches in Exeter with a back injury, but he'll play twice in Manchester next week against James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld to make up for it. 

"It was difficult and it was a different kind of pressure for me tonight," said Van Gerwen. 

"You want to give the fans something back and maybe we both didn't play as well as we could. I got the job done and won, which was the most important thing."  

Three-dart averages
Taylor: 93.87
Van Gerwen: 100.5

SCORING:
100+ thrown
Taylor: 14
Van Gerwen: 16
140+ thrown
Taylor: 3
Van Gerwen: 8
180+ thrown
Taylor: 2
Van Gerwen: 1

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Taylor: N/A
Van Gerwen: N/A

Checkout percentage
Taylor: 57.14% (4/7)
Van Gerwen: 77.78% (7/9)

Premier League Darts 2017 Table

Wright P 7 W 5 D 1 L 1 LegDiff +11 Pts 11
MVG P 6 W 4 D 2 L 0 LegDiff +12 Pts 10
Wade P 7 W 3 D 2 L 2 LegDiff +5 Pts 8
RVB P 7 W 3 D 2 L 2 LegDiff +1 Pts 8
Lewis P 7 W 3 D 1 L 3 LegDiff +2 Pts 7
Taylor P 7 W 2 D 3 L 2 LegDiff +1 Pts 7
Anderson P 7 W 2 D 3 L 2 LegDiff +1 Pts 7
Chisnall P 8 W 3 D 0 L 5 LegDiff -10 Pts 6
Huybrechts P 7 W 0 D 3 L 4 LegDiff -11 Pts 3
Klaasen P 7 W 1 D 1 L 5 LegDiff -12 Pts 3

MVG has played one game less as he withdrew from week five due to injury, with Chisnall playing twice that night.  

Premier League Darts Week Seven: Statistics

Three-dart averages
Raymond van Barneveld: 103.71
Gary Anderson: 102.69
Michael van Gerwen: 100.5
Adrian Lewis: 96.18
James Wade: 94.32
Phil Taylor: 93.87
Peter Wright: 93.79
Dave Chisnall: 90.52
Kim Huybrechts: 90.17
Jelle Klaasen: 86.21 

180s Thrown
Raymond van Barneveld: 5
Adrian Lewis: 5
Kim Huybrechts: 3
Phil Taylor: 2
Peter Wright: 2
Dave Chisnall: 2
Michael van Gerwen: 1
Jelle Klaasen: 1

Checkouts over 100
Raymond van Barneveld: 156
Adrian Lewis: 126
Dave Chisnall: 123
Peter Wright: 120
Gary Anderson: 108

Checkout percentages
Michael van Gerwen: 77.78% (7/9)
Raymond van Barneveld: 70% (7/10)
Gary Anderson: 66.67% (2/3)
James Wade: 63.64% (7/11)
Kim Huybrechts: 60% (3/5)
Phil Taylor: 57.14% (4/7)
Dave Chisnall: 40% (4/10)
Peter Wright: 36.84% (7/19)
Adrian Lewis: 33.33% (7/21)  
Jelle Klaasen: 20% (3/15)   

Premier League: Next week's fixtures

Night Eight, Thursday March 23
Manchester Arena
TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 (1900 GMT)
Michael van Gerwen v James Wade
Kim Huybrechts v Gary Anderson
Peter Wright v Phil Taylor
Jelle Klaasen v Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld v Michael van Gerwen *
Tickets: 0844 847 4000 or via www.eventim.co.uk

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SEASON FIXTURES, RESULTS & TABLE