Gary Anderson powered into the PDC World Championship quarter-finals with a 4-0 defeat of Devon Peterson – then called pundit Wayne Mardle a “numpty”.
Mardle suggested Anderson’s opponent should try to put him off after the Scot became frustrated at the speed of third-round foe Mensur Suljovic’s play.
Anderson will face Dirk van Duijvenbode for a place in the semi-finals.
“Wayne’s telling everyone if you’ve got a problem with a player slow him down, or… put him off,” said Anderson.
“What a numpty. My way of playing darts is you go there to try to outscore him, to outplay him, to out-finish him.”
Two-time champion Anderson produced a 160 finish in his comfortable win over Peterson at Alexandra Palace.
That was bettered by Dutchman Van Duijvenbode, who hit a maximum 170 checkout as he came from 3-1 down to beat Premier League champion Glen Durrant 4-3 in a deciding leg.
Elsewhere Dave Chisnall won an enthralling encounter with World Matchplay champion Dimitri van den Bergh 4-2 and will next play world number one Michael van Gerwen.
Eighth seed Chisnall, twice a quarter-finalist, fired a 144 to win the first set and, as the tension escalated, sealed victory with a 102.
Third seed Gerwyn Price beat Mervyn King 4-1 and will face Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney, who defeated Vincent van der Voort 4-2 with his seventh match dart in the opening match of the day at Alexandra Palace.
Price took the opening set against King with a 148 finish and said: “One minute I was comfortable, the next I was all over the shop.
“I wasn’t at my best but I did enough and thankfully Mervyn wasn’t as good as he has been.”
Stephen Bunting reached his second quarter-final after recovering from 2-0 down in the final set to record a 13-darter against Ryan Searle and secure a meeting with Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski.
All four quarter-finals will be played on New Year’s Day.
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