Taylor has now finished top of the Premier League table seven times

Phil Taylor guaranteed he will finish top of the Premier League table after defeating Gary Anderson in Liverpool.

Taylor, from Stoke-on-Trent, won 8-3 at the Echo Arena and picked up an 11th successive victory in the competition.

Despite the defeat, results elsewhere confirmed second-placed Anderson will be one of the four players competing in the play-offs at Wembley on 19 May.

World champion Adrian Lewis moved up to fourth position in the table with an 8-5 victory over Simon Whitlock.

Raymond van Barneveld remains third after a 7-7 draw with James Wade, while Terry Jenkins beat Mark Webster 8-4 in the night's other match.

The group stages continue in Bournemouth on 5 May and Newcastle seven days later.

Taylor, 50, has finished top of the table every year since the inception of the Premier League in 2005.

Both players went into the game in excellent form but Anderson struggled early on and never recovered from losing the first four legs.

"The fans expected fireworks and I thought Gary was going to play brilliantly," said Taylor. "I could relax a little bit because I've qualified."

Anderson added: "Last week I played well [against Whitlock] but this was atrocious compared to that.

"Phil wasn't as good as he has been but I never got going. My darts didn't flow right and he beat me up."

Lewis, meanwhile, significantly improved his chances of reaching the play-offs by defeating Australia's Whitlock.

"It could be the biggest win of the tournament for me," said Lewis. "I think I will qualify now.

"It's a tough run-in but that's the same for everyone. I'll be fighting and I think I can finish fourth."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version