"Luke Humphries, he shows a bit too much" - Luke Littler claims he knows when he has opponents on the ropes

Luke Littler has a unique way of keeping his motivation high: he enjoys riling up fans of rival football clubs. The die-hard Manchester United supporter loves being booed in various Premier League Darts cities across the country, using the hostile atmosphere as extra fuel to perform.

The 18-year-old darts sensation continued his impressive early season dominance in the 2025 Premier League Darts last Thursday, taking his fourth nightly win of the campaign in Newcastle. With a wide lead of eight points at the top of the league table, he once again showed why he is the man to beat. At the Utilita Arena, he lost only four legs in three games, taking a combined 36 minutes for his evening's work.

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Littler revealed afterwards that he actually sees the boos from fans of clubs like Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds as motivation. "The fans, they’ll always boo you if you’re in the place, like Newcastle and the likes of Liverpool. But the banter’s always going to be there as a United fan going to the likes of Newcastle. Liverpool’s coming up, Leeds is going to be coming up. But they’re the ones that I most look forward to."

“I always say to myself when you come into these crowds, just expect the worst. And if it’s not the worst, you’ve just got to look at yourself and go, this is actually worse than I expected, so let’s go on with the darts," he continued. “But as soon as you’re at the 180s, then that’s when they start to like it and then that’s when they start to like me a bit more."

Littler has 4 nightly wins this season so far

Littler is also determined to continue his dominance. “I’ve just got to stay hungry within myself, obviously go for the fifth nightly win, stay at top spot, try not to drop off from there. I’ve got a nice gap at the top, but it’s all about just trying to make more history for myself," he explains.

Littler has noticed though, not all players are strong mentally as him. “When I’m playing certain players, I know when I’ve got them and it does show. Luke Humphries, he shows a bit too much," he notes. “And as a player, you’re like: Alright, he’s hit a 60 or a 41 and he’s not happy about it. And then his next throw, he’ll hit the same score, so you just have to pounce.”

During the Premier League night, Newcastle United players were also present. But Littler himself did not get to see them. “I definitely didn’t see them. But I’ve seen a clip of Dan Burn, I think he was loving me walk-on. Maybe Chris (Dobey) won’t be too happy to see that.”

Despite his laid-back image, Littler admits that he occasionally loses his temper, too. "Well, you’ve not seen that yet. My darts got sent off stage in Belfast or Dublin, then that’s the worst I’ve done so far!” Littler concluded with a laugh.

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