'He was giving up' - Nathan Aspinall surprised by Michael van Gerwen's lack of fight in Premier League Darts showdown

Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen did battle on what was a do or die night for the Dutchman's 2025 Premier League Darts hopes, last Thursday night in Sheffield. In the end though, it proved a relatively comfortable win for 'The Asp'.

With Van Gerwen needing to not only beat Aspinall in the quarter-finals, but to go all the way and take the nightly win in order to finish the league phase in the top 4 and secure a spot in the playoffs, many expected 'Mighty Mike' to come out fighting against Aspinall. As mentioned though, the Englishman took a relatively comfortable 6-2 win in the end, averaging 10 points more than Van Gerwen, who put in a surprisingly flat performance.

This lack of a spark from Van Gerwen was something that not only surprised fans, but came as a shock to Aspinall himself too. "There was a lot of emotion after walking off stage. I had to take myself away," Aspinall told Sky Sports backstage in Sheffield immediately following his win in the quarter-finals. "I spoke so highly of Michael all week that he could go and win the night."

"I don't know what's going on but he didn't look himself again tonight," continues Aspinall, who himself ended up losing out in the semi-finals as Like Littler went on to take a record-extending 6th weekly win. "Even on that stage, he was giving up."

Reflecting on Van Gerwen's disappointing performance, Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle admitted it's likely to be a big blow for the Dutchman. "I feel for Michael. The man is a champion, a winner," said 'Hawaii 501'. "It is only the second time he has not made the play-offs. He has said it, he has not been good enough at times."

"I don't know how he feels within, he has just looked off. To not have won a week, he won four last year, that is a real blow for him. He came into this as the third favourite behind the Lukes and it was all going okay. Then it kind of took a turn for the worst," Mardle added. "I don't know how bad the injury was but since missing Berlin he has played slightly well in my opinion."