Woodhouse appealed to the crowd to back Luke Littler and truly value his skill, after the teen endured boos at recent venues.
Littler attempted to defend his World Grand Prix crown in Leicester on Monday, but fell 2‑1 to Woodhouse in round one.
The world No 1 seemed off‑form, posting an 82.41 average as Woodhouse rallied from a set down to face Nathan Aspinall in the last‑16.
Celebrating his win, Woodhouse asked supporters to rally behind Littler, praising his impact on the sport.
“Luke isn’t a robot; he’ll have off days,” Woodhouse noted.
“He’s a one‑of‑a‑kind talent,” Woodhouse repeated, echoing fan sentiment.
“Take a moment to recognise his brilliance and truly back him,” he added.
“You may never see another Luke Littler again,” he warned.
In September, Littler faced boos and whistles during the World Series of Darts Finals in the Netherlands.
He was jeered in his opener against Danny Noppert and again in the round‑of‑16 versus Aspinall, prompting referee Charlie Corstorphine to intervene.
The 19‑year‑old even threatened to boycott Dutch events before pulling out of two Players Championship stops, later losing in the quarters to Jonny Clayton.
When asked why the back‑to‑back world champion draws criticism, Woodhouse replied, “I don’t know.”
“He’s done for the game what legends like Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen achieved, taking it to a new level,” he said.
“I just want people to support him and recognise his top‑tier talent,” Woodhouse urged.
“Sure, he wasn’t at his best tonight and he lost last week, but more titles are coming his way,” he asserted.
It’s a mix of emotions
Woodhouse recovered after dropping the first set, then surged in the third with a strong start.
He claimed the first two legs, Littler answered in the third, and Woodhouse sealed the deciding set 3‑1, finishing on a 75 checkout.
“It’s a swirl of feelings,” Woodhouse reflected after the win.
“I felt I let the first set slip – not thrown away, but I missed chances and got angry at myself,” he admitted.
“Littler wasn’t firing on all cylinders, so I thought, ‘Don’t lose two sets when he’s off.’ It was a relief when it turned around,” he continued.
“Beating Luke on a main stage has me over the moon,” he exclaimed.
Woodhouse said the triumph over the world No 1 was huge, yet he remains hungry for more titles.
“It’s fantastic,” he said.
“Luke will go down as a great, if not already,” Woodhouse claimed.
“I’m aware the format is short; you must hit doubles quickly, so I’m not naive about that,” he noted.
“Winning tournaments is my goal,” he concluded.
First to two sets
- Danny Noppert 2‑1 Niko Springer
- Ross Smith 2‑1 Cameron Menzies
- Nathan Aspinall 2‑1 Kevin Doets
- Jonny Clayton 2‑1 Krzysztof Ratajski
- Gerwyn Price 2‑0 Sebastian Bialecki
- Michael van Gerwen 1‑2 Ryan Joyce
- Luke Littler 1‑2 Luke Woodhouse
- Wessel Nijman 2‑0 Rob Cross
First to two sets
- Chris Dobey vs Jermaine Wattimena
- Ryan Searle vs William O’Connor
- Josh Rock vs Niels Zonneveld
- James Wade vs Joe Cullen
- Gary Anderson vs Damon Heta
- Gian van Veen vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Luke Humphries vs Dave Chisnall
- Stephen Bunting vs Andrew Gilding? Will the rivalry heat up?
The second round runs Wednesday‑Thursday, quarters Friday, semis Saturday and the final on Sunday.