Darts world champion and teenage superstar Luke Littler drew the ire of Tottenham supporters during their clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday
Luke Littler was afforded the opportunity to parade his World Championship trophy on the pitch at Old Trafford, but probably didn't expect to hear Michael van Gerwen's name when he did so.
The teenage superstar showed off his trophy at half-time of Manchester United's clash against Tottenham in the Premier League. Littler's celebration, not shown on TNT Sports, was interrupted by Spurs supporters seeking something to cheer about after their side was 1-0 down.
'Oh Michael Van Gerwen' sounded the chant from the stands, with Littler quick to respond by pointing to the trophy and holding two fingers aloft.
The dominant darts star is no stranger to being targeted by fans following his success. At the opening night of Premier League darts action, Littler was subject to some jeers.
Littler took barely 10 minutes after being beaten 6-4 by Gian van Veen to aim a cheeky dig at Newcastle fans. On that occasion, he hit back with a post shared to Instagram stories.
Littler appeared to reference Newcastle's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the second leg of their Carabao Cup clash the previous night. The Magpies crashed out of the competition as a result.
Posting a photo of him watching the tournament on a projector screen, he wrote: "Newcastle, you were brilliant, On to next week. PS 3-1."
The two-time world champion, a United fan, suffered some hostile reactions in his Ally Pally campaign. The reaction initially seemed to rattle the youngster but did not impact his darts.
"I'm not bothered [by the booing]," he said after once incident. "Really not bothered. You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize so thanks for booing me. No-one wanted me to win but I proved them wrong yet again."
"They want the underdogs to win, they want the favourites to go out," Littler added after beating Rob Cross.
"I just had to get it out of the way and get my job done. I think that's the first time I've been at the World Championship and the crowd haven't wanted me to win. I expect the worst on New Year's Day."
While Littler appeared to enjoy the attention at the Theatre of Dreams, he'll have enjoyed the result more. Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes ensured a win for the home side as Cristian Romero was sent off.