Wayne Mardle felt the need to apologise to “offended” Sky Sports viewers during the broadcaster’s coverage of Luke Littler’s match with Stephen Bunting on night four of the Premier League.
Littler faced Bunting in the quarter-finals in Exeter on Thursday night. The teenager had already won night two in Glasgow and came into this round sat fourth in the eight-man table, five points behind leader Luke Humphries.
And during Manchester United fan Littler’s 6-3 demolition of Liverpool supporter Bunting, lead Sky Sports commentator Stuart Pyke took a cheeky dig at the Red Devils.
While discussing Bunting’s tough start to the 2025 Premier League, having now lost all four of his matches so far, Pyke said: “Bunting here, if he loses tonight, it’ll be four defeats on the trot. That’s still a long way off the worst losing streak in this format.
“Peter Wright, spread over two years, lost nine on the trot. Our friend Duzza (Glen Durrant) also lost nine on the trot in a previous format.”
Mardle responded: “Well we’ve been joshing earlier about how it can’t go on like this can it? But… it can! And it might tonight, we don’t know.”
Pyke said: “At this level, you’re getting a tough test every week. There’s no relief.” Before Mardle continued: “There’s no let-up. It’s relentless.”
And Pyke then joked: “You don’t get a game against Man United thrown in in the Premier League do you? To ease the pressure.”
Mardle laughed before stating: “To everyone who is offended by that, we’re sorry!”
United have been laughed at not just by Sky Sports Darts commentators but by Premier League football fans this season. The 20 times champions of England sit 14th in the table after 28 games, having won nine and lost 12.
They are a world away from their success under Sir Alex Ferguson and incumbent manager Ruben Amorim has struggled to arrest the club’s slide since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag in November.
Darts commentator Pyke added: “(United fan) Emma Paton’s looking at me very strange. No doubt Mark Webster will be later. But no seriously we talk about no easy games at this level, but this is the epitome of that.”
Before Mardle warned Bunting: “If you do get off to a poor start and it just carries on, you sometimes can’t even imagine winning again. Been there, seen that, done it!”
Bunting went on to lose and sits bottom of the standings without a win. He will hope to end his drought against Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals of night five in Brighton next week.
Littler is a huge United fan but is also a massive supporter of Rugby League side Warrington Wolves. The 18-year-old recently conceded he’d rather them win the Super League than United win the Premier League again.
He said: “Ah, that’s so tough. I’ve seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s last league title, so I’d have to say Wire winning the league.”
