But then, he discovered a way out of what had appeared to be a dead end. It came in the form of a 41 checkout which enabled him to half the deficit to 2-1.
Littler will face Stephen Bunting after he defeated Peter Wright 5-2 in his own quarter-final, and the teenager said after his victory: ‘It feels like last year. I’m playing with absolute confidence, with freedom, and now on to the semi-finals. I don’t like having days off because I don’t practise. So we wake up tomorrow and we go again.’
Littler went back to work, an 11-dart leg making it 3-1. While leading 4-1, he surpassed half a century of 180s at this year’s tournament, but Aspinall took out a 70 checkout to make it 4-2.
Dobey wobbled midway through his match, this being the stage where he led 4-0 over Rob Cross in last year’s quarter-finals but contrived to lose 5-4 in an almighty collapse. Price applied pressure by delaying his opponent’s throws with overzealous celebrations, but after triumphing 5-3, Dobey said: ‘Thoughts did go through my head, “Please not again.” It’s hard to explain how nervy it was. The hoodoo, it’s forgotten now. I’ve done it. I’ve literally taken that next step in my career.’
About as long as it takes to make yourself a cuppa, that’s the time it took Luke Littler to win the first set, and from then on, there was no catching the 17-year-old in his supersonic pursuit of a place in Thursday night’s semi-finals at Alexandra Palace.
Van Gerwen will take on Chris Dobey after the Englishman overcame his nerves to beat Gerwyn Price
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‘MvG’ triumphed at Ally Pally in 2014, 2017 and 2019, with the 35-year-old Dutchman, once tipped to threaten Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s tally of 16 world titles, overdue a fourth crowning.
When Littler took a 2-0 lead, his average was 111.29 to Aspinall’s 94.47. Aspinall found himself ‘walking in a Littler wonderland’, as the crowd were singing here, and it resembled a cup de sac.
In the afternoon session at Ally Pally, three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen overcame the pluckiness of this year’s 300-1 surprise package Callan Rydz to reach Thursday’s semi-finals.
Bunting, the 39-year-old Englishman nicknamed ‘The Bullet’, managed to hold back the tears briefly to say: ‘It’s a pinch-me moment. I want to win this title more than anyone in the world.’
Littler will play Stephen Bunting next after ‘The Bullet’ saw off Peter Wright
‘I never underestimate anyone. You need to maintain this form, otherwise you will be on the train home, simple as that.’