Premier League Darts: Van Gerwen beats Smith in Liverpool to secure three wins in a row
Michael van Gerwen beat Michael Smith 6-4 in the final of night six of the Premier League Darts in Liverpool; The Premier League darts moves to Nottingham on March 16 - live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm, with the Play-Offs returning to the O2 in London on Thursday May 25
By Amar Mehta
Last Updated: 10/03/23 6:33am
Michael van Gerwen continued his fine form as he beat Michael Smith 6-4 in Liverpool to claim his third-straight Premier League win.
Van Gerwen picked up where he left off in the previous two nights, comfortably reaching the final with wins over Jonny Clayton and Peter Wright.
He looked like he would make it a comfortable hat-trick after storming to a 3-1 lead in the final, but world champion Smith made it difficult and won three in a row to peg the Dutchman back.
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In a topsy-turvy match, Van Gerwen went one game away from a third win after pinning double eight against the throw. Smith continued to ask a lot of questions, but narrowly missed the bullseye by millimetres that would have taken it to a decider.
Van Gerwen took full advantage and nailed the double 10 to make it three in a row. The result puts the Dutchman in full control of the competition, as he now has an eight-point lead over Smith.
"I think you have to do well on nights like this. There wasn't a lot of good darts towards the final. Maybe that's to do with the schedule. You have to turn up in the final, especially against Michael Smith," MVG said.
"When you are under pressure, the best feeling in the world is to do the same back. It gives you pleasure and joy. That's what you want and that's how you can win games and finals on nights like this.
"I know how to win without my A performance. But in some patches, I played really well. But I gave him a chance. You can't give players like him a chance.
"I have won three in a row now and next week I go for number four."
Smith remains in second place and has a one-point lead over third-placed Nathan Aspinall, who he beat in the semi-final. Gerwyn Price rounds off the top four on eight points, with Dimitri Van den Bergh and Clayton a point behind.
Van Gerwen was in good form again, and comfortably beat Clayton and Wright on his way to the final in Liverpool.
The Dutchman dropped just three legs before the final against two players who currently sit outside the play-off places. Van Gerwen wasn't at his best but did enough to get through, and never gave Clayton a look in and eased through 6-2 in the quarter-final.
He then faced Wright in the next round - with the Scotsman having beaten Gerwyn Price to pick up his first points of the year. But Van Gerwen was too good again and sealed a comfortable 6-1 win.
The road to the final was a bit more difficult for Smith, despite beating Van den Bergh 6-3. The Belgian was out of sorts and struggled to get going, but Smith crawled over the line against Aspinall in the semi-final.
Both players missed regular doubles and were level-pegging at 2-2 after four legs. It was Smith who was able to edge ahead, with Aspinall's struggles on the outside ring continuing throughout the tie.
The world champion sealed a 6-2 win despite averaging less than 90.
Premier League - Night 6 in Liverpool Results
Quarter-finals | Gerwyn Price | 5-6 | Peter Wright |
---|---|---|---|
Michael van Gerwen | 6-2 | Jonny Clayton | |
Chris Dobey | 4-6 | Nathan Aspinall | |
Michael Smith | 6-3 | Dimitri van den Bergh | |
Semi-finals | Peter Wright | 1-6 | Michael van Gerwen |
Nathan Aspinall | 2-6 | Michael Smith | |
Final | Michael van Gerwen | 6-3 | Michael Smith |
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Night 7 in Nottingham: Thursday, 9 March
Quarter-Finals | Dimitri van den Bergh v Nathan Aspinall |
---|---|
Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price | |
Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen | |
Chris Dobey v Michael Smith |
Where are we heading next?
The Premier League roadshow heads to the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on March 16, as Smith faces Chris Dobey and Wright faces Van Gerwen in a repeat of the semi-final on night six.
The other two quarter-finals see Clayton play Price and Van den Bergh face Aspinall.
2023 Premier League Schedule
Night 3 | OVO Hydro, Glasgow | February 16 |
Night 4 | 3Arena, Dublin | February 23 |
Night 5 | Westpoint Exeter | March 2 |
Night 6 | The Brighton Centre | March 9 |
Night 7 | Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham | March 16 |
Night 8 | Utilita Arena, Newcastle | March 23 |
Night 9 | Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin | March 30 |
Night 10 | Utilita Arena, Birmingham | April 6 |
Night 11 | M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool | April 13 |
Night 12 | Rotterdam Ahoy | April 20 |
Night 13 | First Direct Arena, Leeds | April 27 |
Night 14 | AO Arena, Manchester | May 4 |
Night 15 | Utilita Arena, Sheffield | May 11 |
Night 16 | P&J Live, Aberdeen | May 18 |
Play-Offs | The O2, London | May 25 |
We're back for more Premier League Darts action from the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on March 16 - live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.