"People might not say I'm mature but try and be in my position": Luke Littler says 'I lost my head' amid hostile Ally Pally atmosphere

Luke Littler booked his place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship after surviving a fierce test from Rob Cross in a high-quality, emotionally charged contest at Alexandra Palace.

Despite entering the match without having dropped a set, Littler was pushed hard throughout, producing a tournament-record 17 maximums and averaging 106.58 in what he later described as a game that “didn’t feel like a 107”.

“Yeah, I mean the stats and the game itself go to show it was a brilliant game,” Littler said. “I think that’s a test that I needed, and I’ve proved once again that when someone tests me, I can get them out of the way.”

The defending champion insisted his focus was never on the numbers, even as the standard soared.

“From the start I wasn’t thinking about averages or 180s or anything like that,” he explained. “I said pre-match that Rob’s not going to play anywhere near how he’s been doing, and that’s why he’s nearly put a 99 average against me. I just had to get him out of the way.”

Rob’s performance marked the first time Littler had been properly threatened in the tournament, with the underdog finding form as the match wore on. Littler admitted the contest could have looked very different had his opponent started in the same rhythm. “He definitely really pushed me,” Littler said. “He said to me at the end that he found his feet, and I said, ‘You definitely did.’ Then he said, ‘I wish I started like that,’ and in my head I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m glad you didn’t, Rob,’ because it would have been very different.”

The match was played against a hostile backdrop, with the crowd firmly behind Rob. Littler, usually composed on the big stage, showed a rare level of animation — something he acknowledged may have come too early. “I might have reacted a bit too early after the first set,” he said. “When I came back on for the second set they were still at it. I thought, ‘Yeah, you’ve done it a bit too early,’ but I just had to get on with the job.”

While Littler denied consciously using the crowd as motivation, he admitted the atmosphere elevated his performance. “They want the underdog to win or they want the game to go on longer than it should,” he said. “But yeah, it definitely fuelled me up and I definitely played better because of it.”

Key moments included a crucial 164 checkout after Rob left 342, a sequence Littler replayed vividly afterwards.

“I just kept thinking to myself, ‘Leave everything until that last dart goes in,’” he explained. “When Rob left 342, I said to myself, ‘Just hit two 180s.’ I left 164, hit the 164, then he didn’t leave a finish again and I had 68. I just had to get it out of the way.”

Despite the extraordinary standard, Littler admitted the emotional intensity distorted his perception of the performance. “I’m happy with the stats, but it still doesn’t feel like a 107,” he said. “I can’t remember half the checkouts or shots I actually hit because I had to really dig deep.”

The victory also marked another step in Littler’s development, particularly in handling hostile environments something he believes would have overwhelmed him earlier in his career despite his barbs to the crowd in the aftermath on Sky Sports.

“Two years ago I think I would have started throwing my darts left-handed, to be honest,” he said. “That’s how much I’ve grown and that’s how much I’ve matured. People might not say I’m mature, but try and be in my position.”

Having previously experienced difficult crowds abroad, Littler admitted this was the first time at the World Championship he felt the audience actively wanted him to lose. “I expect the worst on New Year’s Day, whoever I play,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m ready.”

Littler was keen to stress the mutual respect between himself and Rob after the match. “He said ‘well played’ and wished me good luck,” Littler revealed. “We never say a bad word about each other. He said he found it at the end and I said, ‘Yeah, you did.’”

Despite being just a few wins away from lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy again, Littler is already mindful of energy management as the format lengthens. “I don’t really want to be explosive because it can tire you out,” he said. “It’s first to five sets now, so I’ll definitely be keeping more energy in the tank.”

For now, though, Littler can reflect on a performance that combined resilience, quality and raw emotion — and one that may yet prove pivotal in his title defence. “It was a great game to be involved in,” he said. “The crowd did their part, and I did my job.”