The Flying Scotsman fought back from 8-4 down to win 11-9 in a thrilling final which ended Van Gerwen’s stranglehold on the trophy since its inception in 2013.
Anderson, a two-time world champion, nailed a double 12 to break and take the lead for the very first time in the 19th leg of the showpiece event and held his nerve to claim his first world series title in front of a capacity Dubai crowd.
“I’ve never been so hot in my life,” Anderson joked on-stage after he battled humid conditions to secure victory.“Not a lot was going through my mind when I was down in the match actually. I just knew I was getting a bit of a tanking.
“Michael took his foot off the gas and it was a bit of a panic. But players miss doubles and I think that’s what makes the game interesting and the whole match can turn round.
“In the last leg I kicked off well, scoring well and could have nailed it earlier. It was scrappy but I finished it,” the 45-year-old added.
“This is my second time here competing in Dubai and all I can say is thanks very much to the sponsors and organisers, I wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for them. It’s a fantastic city, what a place!”
Anderson also revealed that playing the UAE last year was a “learning curve” and admitted altering the weight of his darts from 23 to 25 grams made a big difference to his throwing of the arrows this week.
Earlier on in the night, Anderson got revenge for his semi-final defeat to Phil Taylor in the 2015 edition of the event, winning 11-7 while Van Gerwen made it past Dave Chisnell by the same scoreline in their last-four clash.
And it wasn’t to be a fourth title in a row for the Dutchman, whose three dart average of 104.31 was actually higher than Anderson’s 97.89 throughout the tournament.
Reflecting on his first-ever defeat in Dubai in four years, Van Gerwen couldn’t hide his disappointment at surrendering such a strong advantage in the title match.
“I always want to win so I am a bit gutted. I feel like I gave the game away so I am really sick about that,” the 26-year-old, who had a checkout percentage of just 29 in the final, said.