Littler said after the match that he may have wound the crowd up too early during his match against Cross.
“They want the underdogs to win, they want the favourites to go out,” said Littler.
“I just had to get it out of the way and get my job done. I think that’s the first time I’ve been at the World Championship and the crowd haven’t wanted me to win.”
“I expect the worst on New Year’s Day.”
Fellow former world champion Michael van Gerwen was also booed in his first round win over Japanese outsider Mitsuhiko Tatsunami.
So, why is it happening so often this year?
“They are looking for the underdog to win, but they’re all going to be underdogs when they play Luke Littler,” two-time world champion Dennis Priestley told Radio 5 Live.
“When he’s up against it… he seems to find the answers. That’s a world star, a world number one and possibly a two-time world champion, which we will soon see in a few more days.
“He’s only a young lad and he’s not been on the scene that long. There’s a lot to learn and he realises that.
“It’s so remarkable the head he’s got on his shoulders, he’s got a man’s head that’s 40 years old with all of his experience that he’s packed in over the last 18 months.”
