Luke Littler has revealed Manchester United’s defeat to Fulham spurred him on to beat Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals of the UK Open.
Littler, famously a United fan, has endured a mixed time since winning the World Championship at the start of the year. The UK Open, branded ‘the FA Cup of Darts, held over this weekend handed The Nuke an opportunity to get back on track.
The semi-finals of the tournament took place during United’s FA Cup fifth round clash with the Cottagers at Old Trafford. Calvin Bassey handed the visitors the lead on the stroke of half-time before Bruno Fernandes struck after the break to equalise.
The game ultimately went to penalties, with Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee seeing their spot-kicks saved by Bernd Leno, sending United crashing out. Littler beat Clayton in his final four clash, having been handed added motivation by the Red Devils’ failure
“Obviously I am happy, I’m into the final of the UK Open at my third attempt. But in the second break I heard about the Manchester United loss so it spurred me on a bit, won the next five,” the 17-year-old told ITV Sport.
“Then I only needed one leg and I got the job done. Before the game I saw it had gone to penalties, first break I didn’t think anything of it then the second break, then the third session was unbelieveable.
“Having that five leg gap and then you have to go off stage knowing you need to win one leg. I managed to do it. I know myself that my doubles isn’t the best part of me. There’s always room for improvement.
“I know my power scorings there which gives me opportunities to have the 20 missed darts at double. I know I’m capable of getting loads of chances at double. I’ve said plenty of times in the past my goal is just to win one of every major. I’m another step closer to adding another major to the tally.”
The first 10 legs of Littler’s semi-final clash with Clayton were shared, but after he discovered the United result, he won five legs in a row. While Clayton fought back, Littler ultimately secured an 11-6 win.
That sent him into the final, where he met three-time UK Open winner James Wade. The Nuke demolished Wade 11-2 to win his maiden title in the competition.
The UK Open marks a fifth TV major for Littler since he burst on to the scene at Ally Pally in December 2023. Since reaching the final on his debut year on the biggest stage, he has gone on to win the World Championship, Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals.
His wins over Clayton and Wade followed victories over Gian van Veen, Krzysztof Ratajski, Jermaine Wattimena and Peter Wright earlier in the competition.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Can United mount a title challenge? Get our FREE daily Manchester United email newsletter