Clayton wins in Brighton to go top of Premier League

Van Gerwen missed four match darts in total as the Welshman reeled off four straight legs to take the win in Brighton. Victory takes Clayton, who began the evening in third, three points above Luke Littler after the world champion was beaten by Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals and failed to add to his points tally. While Van Gerwen had the edge both in terms of average and checkout percentage in the final, Clayton produced when it mattered as he made the seven-time champion pay for failing to wrap up the match at 5-2 and 5-4 and forced a decider.

Clayton then finished it in style, hitting two 180s in the leg before sealing it on double 16. "I thought the game was over at 5-2 up for Michael," Clayton told Sky Sports. "He missed, he gave me a chance.

You've got to take chances. That last leg was probably my best of the game. "I'm back on top of the table, Luke Littler can start chasing me again.

" Despite falling just short of a first nightly win since the opening week in Newcastle, Van Gerwen's run to the final helped him shore up his play-off place and open up a four-point gap to fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen in fifth. It is back-to-back quarter-final exits for Luke Littler, and the world number one was a long way from his best as he fell to a 6-4 loss to Bunting. Littler was booed by the crowd on his way to the stage after his spat with Van Veen last week and failed to get going at any stage, averaging just 83.