Last week, on opening night in Cardiff, Van Gerwen went straight down in the quarter-finals against Gary Anderson. In Liverpool, the three-time world champion and number three in the world was in better form.
World champion Peter Wright was the opponent in the quarterfinals. Both men had to come in for a while, but Van Gerwen was on the lesson at the important moments and took a 3-0 lead. The fourth leg still went to snakebitebut Mighty Mike then won three more legs in a row and waltzed over Wright: 6-1. With an average of almost 103 (compared to less than 85 of Wright), Van Gerwen was supreme.
A lap later, Van Gerwen got a lot more opposition from Clayton. In a semi-final with high-quality darts came Mighty Mike on a 4-1 lead, but partly due to some nice finishes Clayton turned the tide. The Ferret won five legs in a row and qualified for the final of the second match night at the expense of the Dutchman. Van Gerwen does take his first two points of this edition of the Premier League.
Program and results
Quarter-finals (first to 6 legs)
Peter Wright – Michael van Gerwen 1-6
Jonny Clayton – Michael Smith 6-3
James Wade – Joe Cullen 3-6
Gerwyn Price – Gary Anderson 6-3
Semi-finals (first to 6 legs)
Van Gerwen – Clayton 4-6
Cullen – Price
Final (first to 6 legs)
Clayton – Cullen/Price
Watch our videos about the World Cup darts below.