Michael van Gerwen becomes the PDC World Darts Champion

Michael van Gerwen won the second PDC World Championship of his career, after a dominant 7-3 win over Gary Anderson at Alexandra Palace.

The 27-year-old, who last won the title in 2014, won 12 out of 14 legs in the middle of the match, to win four sets in a row, from 2-2, to 6-2, as Anderson's two-year dominance of the World Championships finally came to an end.

Van Gerwen's win capped an astounding 12 months for himself in the sport. The World Championship win was the Dutch star's 26th tournament win in the past year, which included triumphs at the Premier League, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

What a tournament.

I'm really proud, happy and grateful.

Time to celebrate and enjoy it.

Speak to you all tomorrow!!

#WORLDCHAMPION pic.twitter.com/qjOqm5DrOT

— Michael Van Gerwen (@MvG180) January 3, 2017

Anderson and van Gerwen combined to throw 42 180s in the match. No other televised match in the history of the sport has seen that many maximums been thrown in a match.

"Everyone wants this trophy and I'm really glad that it is me holding it", van Gerwen said after he lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy. "To win it against Gary makes it even more special. He is a phenomenal player with a lot of class and I had to play like that to beat him."

Michael van Gerwen is the 2017 William Hill World Darts Champion 🏆🏆#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/Ww22wiB5Qq

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 2, 2017

After the final, the lineup for the 2017 Premier League was confirmed. Van Gerwen and Anderson will be joined by World Championship semi-finalists Raymond van Barneveld and Peter Wright. Former World Champions Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis are also included.

James Wade, Dave Chisnall, Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts complete the ten-man lineup. Dublin and Belfast will both host a round of the event in April.