Michael van Gerwen beats Gary Anderson to win PDC World Darts Championship final at Alexandra Palace
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Clockwork Orange Michael van Gerwen was the darling clementine of Alexandra Palace as he romped to his second world title.
Dutch destroyer Van Gerwen crushed Gary Anderson 7-3 in the most one-sided William Hill PDC World Championship final for five years and complete a clean sweep of major TV titles.
In the first meeting of the world's top two since Phil Taylor hammered Raymond van Barneveld 7-1 in 2009, MVG was simply unstoppable, irresistible, invincible.
Anderson's first defeat at Ally Pally in 18 matches was no disgrace – but in the end, it was almost procession.
If there was a sense of anti-climax, take nothing away from the force of nature which blew away braveheart Anderson.
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)
And in the end, the only drama was an audacious attempt by a tanked-up spectator to try and steal the Sid Waddell Trophy from its plinth when Van Gerwen was about to throw, needing 115 for the title.
Good luck trying to nick that trophy, you twerp. It's made of Eritrean marble and it weighs half a ton.
Security bouncers were on to the intruder in a flash, and although Van Gerwen was temporarily distracted and lost the ninth set, it only delayed the inevitable.
He took out 85 on bullseye to earn the right to lift the trophy as a two-time champion and now, at 27, the mind boggles what Van Gerwen could go on to achieve.
MVG, who averaged an impressive 108.06, admitted: “That was a bit sad – you always get people like that who try to be funny, but he's not allowed to do that and he probably won't see another darts match in his life.
“I have fought so hard for this and now I have a full set of the major trophies, but this is the one that matters most of all.”
In the finest hail of arrows since William the Conqueror's game of archery with King Harold at Hastings, the Dutchman's barrage was relentless.
Anderson and MVG shared a world record 42 maximum 180s between them, taking the tournament's overall aggregate to an unprecedented 708.
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)
But Van Gerwen doesn't just lob tungsten toothpicks at a dartboard – his spears come straight from Rorke's Drift.
He won a staggering 25 tournaments in 2016, and only two people beat him on TV in the calendar year – James Wade in the Premier League round robin phase and Phil Taylor in the inaugural Champions League of Darts.
That Shrek-green shirt has become one of the most recognisable sporting jerseys, like the Tour de France leader's fabled maillot jaune or the All Black rugby top.
Anderson had not lost since he surrendered a 3-1 lead against Van Gerwen in the third round here three years ago, embarking on a record 17-match winning streak.
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Steve Welsh/William Hill)
(Photo: Steve Welsh/William Hill)
Although MVG was first to blink on his own serve, from 2-1 down he rattled off 14 of the next 16 legs to go 6-2 ahead.
The world's top two had met twice in major TV finals in 2015, Anderson winning the Premier League play-offs 11-7 and Van Gerwen coming back from 10-7 down to win the European Championship 11-10.
But after a bristling start, the Flying Scotsman's boiler ran short of fire. Van Gerwen doesn't humiliate opponents, but he does annihilate them because he fires off his arrows so quickly there is no time to recover.