Luke Littler took to social media in response to Gian van Veen’s pointed comments following their tense Premier League meeting in Manchester. The two players met in the opening round in a rematch of the World Darts Championship final. Van Veen prevailed in a last-leg decider that was full of tension, with Littler reacting angrily in the closing stages.

After missing a match dart, Van Veen turned around and glared at Littler, who responded by throwing his arms into the air and whipping up the crowd before making a crying gesture. Van Veen ended up winning the match and the two rivals shared a frosty handshake on stage. Littler seemed rattled by how long his opponent was taking between throws and didn’t shy away from making his feelings known.

Afterwards, Van Veen ripped into Littler as he told Dutch media: “I see him cheering towards the crowd. I don’t think that’s normal. And then he makes that crying gesture too.

“He is a great darts player, but today he shows that he is not a good loser. Cheering over an opponent’s miss really annoys me, so that’s why I gave him an angry look. That he then misses three darts at a double. That’s his problem.”

Littler took to Instagram in response, sharing a screenshot of Van Veen’s scathing comments alongside three crying-laughing emojis.

He also posted a screenshot of his achievements from his own Wikipedia profile, seemingly as a reminder that he is the best in the business, with the caption: “Goodnight godbless thank you Manchester.”