Luke Littler directly addresses Michael van Gerwen's controversial 'baby' comments after losing to darts rival

Luke Littler showed his class with a brilliant response to Michael van Gerwen's "baby" comments ahead of their Premier League Darts opener in Belfast.

In the build-up to Thursday's clash at the SSE Arena, a far-from-pleased Van Gerwen said his opponent “needs to learn” after the world champion turned up late for a Premier League press event.

The Dutchman even told the PDC to "stop treating him like a baby" after Littler kept the six other competitors waiting at the media launch.

Van Gerwen added. "It’s a professional sport so you have to be responsible for your actions, simple as that. If he turns up late for an interview, I don’t really mind. But seven other people were waiting for him, that’s not really nice. But it is what it is."

Littler soon responded to Van Gerwen by saying he "fell asleep" ahead of the photoshoot. "I was 25 minutes late," he added. "Michael called me lazy. I was just laughing at him."

And ahead of the Premier League match, Littler was once again asked about the incident during an interview with Sky Sports.

"I always let my darts do the talking but he [Van Gerwen] is not wrong," the teenager said. "I was late. I'm 18 now and I'm responsible for my actions and I did get a little telling off."

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Littler's response.

One said: "Fair play to him for owning it and not give any excuses," and another wrote: "And that is the reaction of a mature man, class response."

A third commented: "Can’t help but love this guy, level headed despite everything, hope it continues."

A fourth said: "Top man, didn't trash talk the other guy and admitted he was late. Good guy," while a fifth added: "Great response, he's a good lad."

Littler gave his take on Van Gerwen's comments ahead of their Premier League match. Image credit: Sky Sports

Van Gerwen would go on to secure a 6-5 win over Littler, gaining revenge for his World Championship final defeat last month.

The Dutchman missed three match darts in the 10th leg but after Littler gestured towards the crowd to stop booing, MVG got the job done in style.

Moments later, the pair shared an embrace on stage before Littler raised his opponent's arm towards the crowd – proving there is no hard feelings between two of the world's best players.