Luke Littler was booed in Brighton as he suffered a second successive Premier League quarter-final loss following a 6-4 defeat to birthday boy Stephen Bunting.
A week on from his much-publicised spat with Gian van Veen in Manchester, the world champion appeared rattled by a hostile crowd on night 10 of the competition on the south coast.
He was subjected to jeers as he entered the arena and then suffered ironic cheers following a poor start from which he could not recover.
Bunting, who turned 41 on Thursday, could easily have wrapped up victory far earlier as he was gifted multiple opportunities on his opponent’s throw and hit just six of his 21 darts at a double.
Littler showed little reaction to the surprise defeat, shaking Bunting’s hand and exiting the stage meekly after averaging only 84 and failing to hit a single maximum.
It was the 19-year-old’s lowest average in a televised PDC match.
After walking out into an intimidating atmosphere, Littler attempted to show he was unbothered, touching his ear and shrugging as he turned to face spectators.
However, his confidence proved to be misplaced.
How Luke Littler reacts to being booed in Brighton! 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/DpokT4Xjqi
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) April 9, 2026
He managed 59 from his opening three darts and just 41 from the next three en route to losing his throw in the first leg as many in attendance enjoyed his struggles.
Bunting, whose own performance was not entirely convincing, missed three darts to go 3-0 up and then squandered a further two to go 4-1 in front, giving Littler hope of a comeback.
But the pre-match favourite was nowhere near his usual standard and suffered another early exit after Bunting began the final leg with a 180 and held his nerve to progress.
Seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen awaited Bunting in the semi-finals after he defeated fellow Dutchman Van Veen 6-4.
Earlier, Jonny Clayton finished with a bullseye to clinch a last-leg decider against defending champion Luke Humphries, while last week’s winner Gerwyn Price lost 6-3 to Josh Rock.
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