“I’m just here to cause a headache,” Gary Anderson had told everyone in advance of this game, and for the great Michael van Gerwen the hangover from this crushing 4-1 defeat will comfortably outstrip any quantity of New Year’s Eve festivity.It was a little nervy at the end, a little scrappy and short of breath.But somehow the result had never really been in doubt from the early stages: Van Gerwen, the three-time champion, was simply outplayed by a man almost two decades his senior, a true darting maestro enjoying an uproarious final act to his career.In reaching the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time since 2022, Anderson has finally made good on a renaissance that has been at least a couple of years in the making.As the halcyon days of his career began to recede in a haze of domestic bliss, tournaments missed and general middle-aged apathy, it became common to speak of Anderson’s greatness in the past tense.

The big prizes and bright lights no longer seemed to motivate him, and so it was hard to glimpse what actually did.But that little spark of genius never truly left him, and nor had his simple love for a cracking game of darts.And so as he recalibrated his work-life balance, picking and choosing his assignments and getting far richer enjoyment out of the sport as a result, he became the dangerous floater in the draw, the vintage hand grenade that could still do considerable damage when lobbed in the right direction.Perhaps this too will be Van Gerwen’s fate before long.Certainly as the Dutchman departed the stage with a sad shake of the head, it was hard to tell exactly what direction his career takes from here.

The talent has not left him and nor has the ambition, but the aura disappeared years ago and over five awkward sets it was increasingly clear that so have the timing and killer instinct,The raw numbers do not condemn him on their own: an average of 99,8 was fine, in fact a tick higher than Anderson’s,But drill a little deeper and a far more worrying picture emerges,Almost a quarter of his visits finished without a treble.

His setup play from 200 downwards was appalling.As Anderson neared the finish line, exactly the moment when the Van Gerwen of old would have snapped into gear, he went stone cold.Just two of his last 19 attempts at double found the target.And a Van Gerwen who can no longer master the big moments is basically a snarling Danny Noppert.Indeed strip away the history and the reputation and there is an increasingly workmanlike quality to him these days: a quiet competence and a solid consistency on the 60, but lacking the magic and mayhem that elevates the very good to the great.

Indeed, should Gian van Veen beat Luke Humphries in his quarter‑final on Thursday, the unthinkable will come to pass: Van Gerwen will no longer even be the Dutch No 1.It has, by his own admission, been a horrid year for him.There was a very public divorce from his wife, Daphne, the inevitable disruption to routines and mental equilibrium, a run of abject form on the board that he has not been practising enough to arrest.Perhaps the smartest move for Van Gerwen right now would be to skip next year’s Premier League, reassess his life and career, work out exactly what it is realistic for him to want from the sport.Next up for Gary Anderson is debutant Justin Hood who reeled off a record 11 consecutive doubles en route to a stunning 4-0 win over 11th seed Josh Rock.

The 32-year-old only missed his first double when he threw for the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set.He stepped back to take out the match on a 119 finish in the following leg, guaranteeing a career-best payday of at least £100,000 and taking him closer to his dream of opening a Chinese restaurant.Hood, playing his first season on the PDC tour, said: “It’s not a fairytale - I know what I can do and it’s nice to prove it up there.The only time I had a bit of nerves was when I was throwing the leg before (the last one).I’m not used to this.

I usually get hate messages,This is mad,”Hood set the tone for the tie when he won the first set with an 11-dart break of throw, leaving 11th seed Rock to watch on with wonder as he stormed to victory, finishing with a 101 average and 10 180s,Luke Humphries admitted he needed to improve despite storming into the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Dutchman Kevin Doets,Humphries, the 2024 champion, hit back after losing the first set to cruise through the next four and book a last-eight clash with rising star Gian van Veen.

Humphries said: “It was a decent performance – it kind of dropped off towards the end, but when you’re 3-1 up, you want a good set to prove yourself and not create any unnecessary drama.I feel like I’ve played well but I feel like there’s another level in me, which is important.If you’re going to win this tournament, you have to have another level in you because that won’t win you the World Championship.”Humphries will get the test he needs against Van Veen, who scarcely needed to emerge from second gear as he ended the dream run of 20-year-old debutant Charlie Manby with a 4-1 win.Jonny Clayton confirmed his rise to fourth in the world after hitting back from a set down to defeat Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson in their last-16 clash.

Krzysztof Ratajski will face Luke Littler in the quarter-finals after pulling away to defeat Luke Woodhouse 4-2.PA MediaThe example of Anderson offers a template of sorts: a player who only really seriously started challenging again once he made his peace with the fact that he might never challenge again.Even now he refused to countenance actually winning the tournament.“Nope,” he said.“Listen, you hear too many people talking.

The effort and time that I put in, compared to some of these other boys, is not even close.For what I put in, I do all right.”And then there were eight.Luke Humphries, who looked supremely comfortable in dispatching Kevin Doets 4-1, plays Van Veen in the most eagerly anticipated of Thursday’s quarter-finals.Luke Littler should have little trouble with Krzysztof Ratajski.

Ryan Searle is yet to lose a set, and his tussle with Jonny Clayton should provide cracking entertainment.Anderson, meanwhile, plays the remarkable Justin Hood, the world No 86 who demolished Josh Rock 4-0 with an incredible 11 consecutive doubles.Strange things have been happening under the Palace roof.But a 55-year-old Anderson going all the way might just top the lot.