Michael van Gerwen overcame James Wade in Premier League Darts on Friday.
Michael van Gerwen said “I’m back” after his thumping 8-3 victory against James Wade on Night 12 of the 2021 Premier League Darts left him two points clear at the top of the standings (Michael van Gerwen 13/8 Fav – Premier League Winner).
Former world number one Van Gerwen has not been at his scintillating best this year and there were doubts whether he would qualify for the playoffs of the 2021 Premier League, having won just four of his opening nine matches.
However, the Dutchman answered his critics by racking up three straight victories over the last three nights, beating Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jonny Clayton before dispatching Wade on Friday night.
The 32-year-old, who failed to finish in the top four of last year’s Premier League, sits top of the table after 12 rounds – two points ahead of Nathan Aspinall in second and Van den Bergh in third – and MVG sent out a warning shot to the rest of the field.
Van Gerwen told Sky Sports: “James was playing really well but my finishing was incredible. To win games like this gives you a lot of confidence. I hope with this match I can tell everybody again ‘I’m back’.”
In Friday’s other matches, Jose de Sousa thrashed Peter Wright 8-1 in the opening game to leave the Portuguese fourth in the table, just a point behind Aspinall and Van den Bergh, while the Scot stays eighth on nine points.
Clayton kept his top-four hopes alive with an 8-6 victory over The Asp, who is 6/1 to win the tournament, while Gary Anderson also boosted his play-off chances with an 8-4 win against Van den Bergh in the last match.
Anderson sits in sixth on 12 points, two points behind fifth-place Clayton and fourth-place De Sousa, while Wade occupies seventh position on 11 points.
The competition concludes in front of fans at the end of May, with Night 13 taking place on May 24. There are three more rounds after that (25th-27th) before the playoffs start on the 28th.
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