Mark Allen admitted he ‘got what he deserved’ after being crushed 6-0 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in their Players Championship semi-final in Preston.

Antrim’s Allen said he was in the tournament to win it, though he conceded his performance against O’Sullivan left that as an impossible dream.

O’Sullivan reached the final with ease, despite being well short of his scintillating best.

The Rocket made only two half-century breaks in the match, while Allen passed up scoring chances in each of the first five frames.

The former Dafabet Masters champion could manage only a highest break of 33, and that was never going to be enough to trouble the five-time world champion.

O’Sullivan reeled off 89 to go 5-0 in front and a break of 59 helped him over the winning line. For Allen, it was tough night at the Guild Hall.

“I played poorly and didn’t handle the conditions. I got as much as I deserved from the match,” he said afterwards.

“You can’t afford to make the mistakes I made tonight against anyone. It’s disappointing because I didn’t come here to get to the semi-finals, I come to tournaments to win them.”

O’Sullivan faces an in-form Neil Robertson in Sunday’s decider.

The Australian won his previous ranking event by defeating Stuart Bingham in the Welsh Open last month and will be in fine fettle having dispatched man of the moment Judd Trump in his Players Championship semi-final.

Five-time world champion O’Sullivan plays the 50th ranking final of his career and victory would leave him just one shy of Stephen Hendry’s record tally of 36 wins.

He is also just three ton breaks short of making his landmark 1000th career century break.

O’Sullivan is favourite at 1.40 for the Players Championship final, with Robertson 2.80. O’Sullivan is 4.20 to make three centuries in the final.