Premier League Darts 2016 Results: Scores, Standings, Schedule After Liverpool

Robert Thornton held Michael van Gerwen to a draw thanks to a battling display in Liverpool on Thursday in a night that saw Gary Anderson win his sixth straight game to extend Dave Chisnall's losing run in the 2016 Premier League.

A third draw in a row for Van Gerwen means he's one of a trio of players, along with Anderson and Phil Taylor, level on points at the top. But Van Gerwen wasn't the only high-profile player frustrated by a draw.

Peter Wright couldn't break into the top four after being forced to share the spoils from the evening's penultimate match with Taylor.

Here are the results from Week 8:

Player	Score	Player
Michael Smith	5-7	Robert Thornton
Gary Anderson	7-4	Dave Chisnall
Adrian Lewis	7-5	Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor	6-6	Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen	6-6	Robert Thornton

Here's the schedule:

Date	Event	Venue
Thursday, Mar 31	Judgement Night	Cardiff
Thursday, Apr 7	Night 10	Sheffield
Thursday, Apr 14	Night 11	Belfast
Thursday, Apr 21	Night 12	Bournemouth
Thursday, Apr 28	Night 13	Birmingham
Thursday, May 5	Night 14	Manchester
Thursday, May 12	Night 15	Rotterdam
Thursday, May 19	Play-Offs	London

This is what the updated standings look like, according to Sky Sports Darts:

Recap

Thornton was pulling double duty after beating Michael Smith to start the evening's play. But the Scot wasn't wowed by the extra match nor the challenge of dealing with Van Gerwen.

Thornton went 2-1 up after taking down 140 to even things before hitting doubles to go into the lead. A maximum and a double-10 soon put the Thorn two legs in front.

Yet his joy was short-lived, as Van Gerwen rattled off three straight legs in typically prolific fashion. A 130 checkout was the key score, via PDC Darts:

Taking down 96 left Van Gerwen needing to break throw to win. But Mighty Mike was denied when Thornton lifted himself out of the basement by hitting doubles, via Sky Sports Darts:

Later, Anderson raced into a 4-2 lead against Chisnall before taking down 144 in spectacular fashion to go three legs in front. PDC Darts relayed highlights of the thrilling checkout:

Taking out 39 meant Anderson was due at least a point. But he soon made sure of more by not wasting his chance at doubles:

Yet, despite the impressive finish, Anderson felt he'd needed some slip-ups from his opponent to bail him out, according to Live Darts:

Next up, Lewis and Van Barneveld engaged in a seesaw struggle. The latter built an early lead by breaking throw with a double-eight.

But that was merely the cue for Lewis to produce some of his best darts. He eventually won three in a row to stretch his lead to 6-3 with a 104 checkout, only for Van Barneveld to take down 69 and stay in touch.

The draw was on when Barney produced a 104 of his own to answer a maximum from Lewis. But Jackpot clung on to seal the win:

Despite a hat-trick of 180s, Lewis was less than impressed with his scoring, per Live Darts:

Things were just as back and forth when Taylor and Wright took turns at the oche. The Power took the first leg on throw, but that was merely the beginning of the drama.

Snakebite soon bit back to hit bull and even things up at two legs apiece, a moment relayed by Sky Sports Darts:

Later, Wright needed a 111 checkout just to stay in it:

The dream of a draw became reality when Wright hit a double-18 to ensure he and the Power each took home a solitary point:

As Live Darts detailed, the scoring from both players deserved praise:

Van Gerwen remains the player to beat this year, but his hat-trick of stalemates is reducing his aura somewhat and making this a wide-open competition.