Michael van Gerwen had another night to forget in front of his home crowd as Raymond van Barneveld condemned the defending champion to a second Premier League defeat in as many days in Rotterdam.
Having suffered a 7-5 loss to Peter Wright on Wednesday, Van Gerwen failed to bounce back as he ran into his inspired compatriot Van Barneveld.
Barney followed up his victory over Simon Whitlock, which ended a four-match losing streak, by beating Van Gerwen 7-5 to breathe new life into his slim play-off hopes.
The 50-year-old now sits sixth, four points off fourth-placed Michael Smith, while Van Gerwen’s advantage at the summit was cut.
Gary Anderson moved one point behind the Dutchman, level with Rob Cross, after winning three times in Holland.
The Scot continued his fine form by beating Daryl Gurney 7-3 with a 109.73 average.
World Champion Cross was denied a share of top spot as Wright fought back to claim a 6-6 draw.
Whitlock’s play-off aspirations blew up in smoke following 7-1 defeats to both Smith and Gurney.
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