Michael van Gerwen cruises past Chris Dobey to reach World Darts Championship final for the seventh time

Six years is a long time to wait for a world crown – too long when your name is Michael van Gerwen – and it was with relative ease that ‘Mighty Mike’ dispatched Chris Dobey to come within one win of a fourth coronation.

Van Gerwen’s only mistake in this 6-1 victory came in his television interview with Sky Sports on stage afterwards, when the three-time champion dropped the F-bomb as he said: ‘I haven’t won everything yet. .’ Otherwise this was effective, efficient and oh so simple.

Dobey never actually showed up. His name was certainly on the scoreboard, and the £100,000 check from the PDC makes him look like he’s in a match. But he actually wasn’t.

It was an illusion, a fugazi, as false as the excuses that will be made by Ally Pally customers who call in sick to work in the morning. Van Gerwen started this match with a 180 and never looked back. His average of 98.84 was not his highest, but it did not have to be.

Afterwards, MvG said: ‘I didn’t play as explosively as in the last game. When I had to do things, I did them at the right times.

‘To win on this stage, especially in the semi-finals, means a lot to me. We are still so far away. I’m only in the final. I’ve already won everything.’

Van Gerwen’s only mistake in this 6-1 victory came in his television interview with Sky Sports on stage afterwards, when the three-time champion dropped the F-bomb.

Since Van Gerwen won the last of his three world titles in 2019, we have seen the ‘Queen of the Palace’ in Fallon Sherrock, and the ‘Prince of the Palace’ in Luke Littler.

One more victory and we celebrate the return of the ‘King’. If these sound big words, they came straight from Van Gerwen’s mouth after the victory over Callan Rydz in the quarter-finals.

There was no tampering from Van Gerwen in this semi-final, the 35-year-old Dutchman started with a maximum for an immediate throw break.

It took him six minutes to complete that first set. Not as fast as Luke Littler’s three minutes and 33 seconds against Nathan Aspinall, but fast enough as a statement of intent.

In the second set we were stuck at two legs apiece and found ourselves at a crossroads when Dobey had the opportunity to take the match to the next level.

He needed 40 and got three throws, but missed the double on 20, then on 10, then on five. Van Gerwen inevitably cleared his 74 till to make matters worse.

Despite the 2-0 deficit, Dobey had no reason to panic. There’s still a long way to go if it’s best of 11 and he’s trailed Gerwyn Price, Kevin Doets and Josh Rock in his matches here at Ally Pally.

Dobey ignored what had happened earlier as the 34-year-old Englishman returned to reel in the Big Fish, that 170 box office that lived up to its ‘Hollywood’ moniker and helped him halve the deficit to 2-1.

Chris Dobey’s name was certainly on the scoreboard, and the £100,000 check from the PDC makes him look like he’s in a match

Van Gerwen missed two match darts but not the third, landing double 16 again and securing him safe passage to the showdown

How did Van Gerwen react? With a 10-darter to break Dobey’s throw, of course. He is not someone who particularly appreciates being overshadowed. He soon extended his lead to 3-1 and then to 4-1.

Van Gerwen has never had the best poker face. Before he became “Mighty Mike,” his first nickname was “The Bulldog,” and he can certainly look like he’s chewing on a wasp every now and then.

The look he wore here was one of steely hardness, with all his signature growl on display.

Dobey had to improve his game, because his average of 92.91 hardly worried Van Gerwen. He could not afford to wait for his opponent to capitulate, as it is so rare.

Just when the Englishman thought he had a chance to take the lead in a set, the Dutchman swept away 158. It was that ruthlessness that made the score 5-1.

Van Gerwen missed two match darts, but not the third. Double 16 landed again, securing him safe passage to Friday’s showdown.