Luke Littler wins over Ally Pally crowd by cruising past Krzysztof Ratajski

The 18-year-old defending champion said he was “expecting the worst” for his quarter-final.

Luke Littler eased through to the last four of the World Championship (Steven Paston/PA)

Luke Littler got the Alexandra Palace crowd back on side as he sauntered into the World Championship semi-finals.

Littler was booed heavily during his fourth-round win over Rob Cross and antagonised the baying fans further when he crassly thanked them for paying for his substantial prize money.