‘Not my problem’ – Premier League Darts star Jonny Clayton delivers brutal verdict on Luke Littler’s nightmare form

The veteran Welshman has beaten the world champion twice in a row and says he has no intention of worrying about when the inevitable comeback arrives.

Jonny Clayton has delivered a cold-blooded assessment of Luke Littler’s wretched Premier League form — insisting that whatever is ailing the world champion is firmly the teenager’s issue to solve, not his.

The 51-year-old Welshman has made Littler his personal property through the opening weeks of the 2026 campaign, inflicting back-to-back defeats on the double world champion and climbing to the top of the early standings in the process. And with the tone of a man who has been around long enough to know exactly how darts works, Clayton has made clear his approach: focus on himself, take his chances, and let Littler worry about Littler.

Back-to-Back Misery for Littler

The numbers tell a brutal story. World champion Luke Littler’s Premier League struggles continued as he was beaten 6-3 by Jonny Clayton in the opening quarter-final of Night Four in Belfast. Littler had won just one match in the first three weeks of the showpiece tournament, and was hammered 6-1 by Clayton in the semi-finals the previous week in Glasgow, where he had been handed a bye.

In Belfast, it was a similarly one-sided affair. Littler had trouble with his doubles, which has been the story of his campaign so far in the Premier League. He missed four arrows at double 10 to be broken by Clayton with a stunning 156 finish as ‘The Ferret’ went 2-0 ahead. Littler pulled the score back to 3-2, only to miss four more attempts at double in the sixth leg to allow Clayton to sneak home for a second break that gave him back the control and confidence he needed to get over the line.

Clayton won his fourth-straight round-one clash with an emphatic 6-3 success against the world No 1 after punishing just 3/13 on the doubles from the 19-year-old from Warrington.

Clayton’s Verdict: I Take My Chances

After his Glasgow demolition job the week before, Clayton was refreshingly direct about what happened. He acknowledged Littler wasn’t at his best — but made clear he had no sympathy to spare and no intention of overthinking it.

“I didn’t expect to beat the best darts player on the planet 6-1 and then to beat Gian in the end — it’s my night. It’s my night, and that’s all that counts,” he said. “I was nervous in that first game against Gerwyn. Luke didn’t play to his best but I took my chances and that is the game of darts. You need a bit of luck. Obviously you need to play well but if he doesn’t hit and I do, then the ball’s in my court.”

The message was clear: whatever is going wrong at the Littler end of the oche is not something Clayton intends to lose sleep over. His job is to be ready when the opportunity arrives, and twice now — in Glasgow and Belfast — he has been exactly that.

Littler’s Struggles Laid Bare

It leaves the world’s two best players sitting second- and third-bottom in the table on four points, with two of Littler’s points awarded after Michael van Gerwen withdrew from their Night Three clash in Glasgow due to illness.

In Belfast, Littler’s frustration boiled over in another way entirely. He found himself on the receiving end of boos and jeers from the Northern Irish crowd throughout the match. After struggling to find his finishing touch and missing several attempts at double 10, Littler finally landed the shot — and his response was a ‘calm down’ gesture directed at the particularly vocal sections of the audience.

Former professional Matt Edgar has identified hostile crowds as the Achilles heel for the world No 1, describing jeering spectators as Littler’s “kryptonite” at the oche. “Look at the evidence with Luke Littler — he doesn’t go to Germany and because of that he won’t play on the European Tour,” he explained. “We look at Luke Littler and go, how perfect and unstoppable he is. But have we potentially seen his bit of kryptonite here at this moment in his career?”

Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle was equally candid after the Glasgow defeat. “I didn’t think I’d be saying it so soon, that there’s a tiny bit of pressure on Luke Littler. Not to go and win the night but win and feel better because he’s not playing anywhere near his normal standard. It’s a real small sample but he’s not playing to his 105/106 average, which seemingly he can do on his head. Against Jonny he’s playing a man that doesn’t fear him — it’s a big game for Luke Littler.”

The Man Who Doesn’t Fear Him

That last line from Mardle might be the most significant observation of the early season. In an era where Littler has been treated almost as an unstoppable force, Clayton has simply refused to accept the premise. He has gone about his business with the quiet confidence of a man who won the Premier League in 2021 and knows exactly what it takes to go deep in this competition.

His march in Glasgow was emphatic: he halted a near three-year hoodoo against compatriot Gerwyn Price, dismantled the teenage sensation, and then clinically dispatched Dutchman Gian van Veen in the final to surge to the summit of the table. Even Clayton admitted he had surprised himself. “I felt good, my darts are going. Tonight was my night,” he told Sky Sports.

Sky Sports analyst Laura Turner offered a balanced assessment of the broader situation: “It is a surprise that Littler has only won one match in the Premier League. It is just not clicking here and there is not always a reason for it. He is now going to be thinking about it but it is not panic stations. There is plenty of time. Jonny looked really assured — it was his finishing, for me, that was on point once again. He is not letting people back up to the oche.”

Don’t Write Off the World Champion Just Yet

For all the gloom surrounding Littler’s Premier League campaign, context is important. He claimed the Poland Darts Open title between the two Premier League defeats, pocketing £35,000 despite his opponent Gian van Veen hitting a remarkable nine-darter. The talent hasn’t disappeared — it just hasn’t shown up on Thursday nights yet.

“I don’t think they have massively underperformed. I just think players have taken their opportunities. I always say that to beat the two Lukes when they’re having an off spell, you’ve got to make hay — and players have been doing that,” said one analyst. “The Lukes won’t be panicking. There’s so much time left. They’re capable players who can win one week and then keep winning week after week.”

Clayton, for his part, knows this better than anyone. He has watched Littler operate up close on two consecutive Thursday nights, and he is under no illusions about what is coming. When the world champion rediscovers his touch — and he will — the rest of the field had better be ready.

For now, though, the Ferret is running. And whatever is troubling Luke Littler? As far as Jonny Clayton is concerned, that is very much his problem to solve.