Luke Littler vulnerable? "It feels like he always needs a big moment" claims Matthew Edgar

Former PDC Tour Card holder Matthew Edgar believes Luke Littler hasn’t looked like the untouchable sensation of early 2025 in recent weeks.

The 18-year-old Englishman was beaten earlier this month in the final of the World Series of Darts Finals, losing 11-7 to Michael van Gerwen, who claimed a record sixth title in the tournament.

Last weekend brought another setback. Littler went out in the semi-finals of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, falling 7-4 to Danny Noppert. What stood out most was his finishing – he missed 16 darts at a double and averaged just 92.79.

Edgar saw a pattern in that and talked about it in the Mission Darts Podcast. “It was near enough the impossible task, but he fell quite early on that hurdle,” Edgar explained. “It may sound weird for someone as dominant as Luke, but he does look a bit vulnerable at times. It feels like he has to take out that big finish – that 120 in the opening game. He needs a big moment to come off, and if it doesn’t, he looks quite exposed.”

Another former player Andy Cornwall, also chimed in, having noticed a similar issue, suggesting Littler’s concentration sometimes works against him. “I watched quite a bit of it, and he was concentrating too hard,” Cornwall said. “That’s not his normal game. Normally he’s laughing and thinking: ‘I’m going to hit everything.’ You could see it in his face – he was trying so hard that it wasn’t helping. Luke is at his best when he’s flowing and relaxed. But let’s not take anything away from MVG.”

Despite these recent stumbles, 2025 remains an extraordinary year for Littler. After becoming world champion, ‘The Nuke’ has already added the UK Open and the World Matchplay to his list of achievements.