Luke Littler was lambasted for his behaviour in the wake of his victory over Rob Cross at the PDC World Championship on Monday evening. 'The Nuke' was heckled and jeered by the crowd inside Alexandra Palace as he cruised to a 4-2 win over 'Voltage', reacting more and more with every set he won.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of his win, Littler targeted the crowd who favoured his opponent on the night, telling Polly James of Sky Sports: "I'm not bothered. Really, I'm not bothered. I'm really not bothered. Can I just say one thing? You guys pay for tickets that you're paying for my prize money, so thank you...

"Thank you for my money. Thank you for booing me. Thank you. Come on!"

The 18-year-old showed a hint of immaturity with his comments, as he looks to defend the World Darts Championship he clinched in January owing to a 7-3 win over Michael van Gerwen. And former pro, James Hubbard, has now given his own verdict on how Littler carried himself.

Taking to social media, the 33-year-old wrote: "Christ a lot of Luke Littler fans on here losing their minds. I'll reiterate... You can't go on stage and tell the crowd; 'You guys pay for tickets to pay for my prize money'.

"He's world number one, behave like one, and represent the sport properly, end of. If a footballer came out and said that there would be uproar..."

Elsewhere, Hubbard also claimed that he will be told by those around him not to make the same mistake again, as a result of it reflecting badly. He said: "He's young, it's a learning curve and I can guarantee you he'll be advised not to do it again."

During his post-match press conference, Littler explained that he needed to get things off his chest, citing how he was frustrated by crowd interaction. He said: "I just had to let all my emotions out. I was up for it. I have no idea who they were. People in the stands, a few tables at the front. I just had to get on with it."

As a result of his win, Littler will now meet Kryzstof Ratajski in the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship on New Year's Day. A win there will see him play against either Ryan Searle or Jonny Clayton for a place in the final.

On the other side of the bracket, Luke Humphries takes on Gian van Veen, while Gary Anderson plays fan favourite, Justin Hood.