DARTS/World final:Phil Taylor paid a glowing tribute to his conqueror Raymond van Barneveld after losing a sudden-death shoot-out in a dramatic PDC World Championship final on Monday night.

'The Power' relinquished a three-set lead at Purfleet's Circus Tavern as Van Barneveld held his nerve at the end of a thrilling duel to claim a fifth world title and the £100,000 first prize.

The match had been hyped up like no other in darts history and fully justified its billing, going all the way to the 11th leg of the final set before Van Barneveld hit the decisive double top.

It was the Dutchman's sixth match dart as the tension clearly got to both protagonists, but the 13-time world champion Taylor commended his opponent for the way he recovered from 3-0 down.

"Raymond has loads of bottle and came back well," said the Stoke legend, for whom this was only the fifth defeat in 18 world championship appearances.

"I was cruising at 3-0 up but fair play to him. There's nothing I could do. I tried my hardest but I couldn't quite get over the last hurdle.

"Of all the finals I've played in, I would probably put this one as the best."

Van Barneveld beat Taylor for the third time in a ranking event since his switch from the British Darts Organisation.

The 39-year-old former postman from The Hague was lured to the Professional Darts Corporation in February to test himself against the world's best player, who had been without a credible challenger for so long.

But such has been Van Barneveld's impact he now holds legitimate claims to having usurped Taylor - who is seven years his senior.

Van Barneveld hit 21 maximum scores of 180 in the match and added: "That says a lot about what you need to do to defeat this man.

"We are very close friends and I think, when Phil stops playing, a statue should be made of him."