O’Sullivan beat fellow Englishman Judd Trump 18-13 to win the sport’s biggest prize, but not before surviving a fightback from his compatriot.

O’Sullivan started the day with a 12-5 lead, six frames away from victory, but saw Trump compile a break of 107 on his way to winning the first three frames of the day.

O’Sullivan benefited from his opponent missing a risky plant in the next with an impressive clearance of 64 to re-open a five frame lead.

Trump made a break of 105 in the last frame of the third session to reduce his opponent’s advantage to 14-11 heading into the final session.

O’Sullivan started the evening with breaks of 82 and 88, profiting from errors from his opponent to take a 16-11 lead.

After the interval Trump made a break of 109, which set a record for centuries in a single World Championship - which now stands at 109.

A successful pot on a red along the cushion set O’Sullivan on his way to a break of 85 in the next, as the 46-year-old became the sport’s oldest world champion.

Victory gave O’Sullivan a 39^th ranking title and a 21^st Triple Crown event win, while he also remains at the top of the world rankings.

It was clearly an emotional win for O’Sullivan, nicknamed The Rocket, who hugged his opponent for just over a minute, before embracing his children Ronnie and Lily, who were present to witness their father’s triumph.

Speaking after the match O’Sullivan said: "That’s probably the best result I’ve ever had.

"It was a titanic battle against a strong competitor who is young and hungry. I had to fight for every point.

"Even at 12-5 I knew it wasn’t over. As far as I’m concerned, Judd is already an all time great. The way he plays the game, he plays such dynamic snooker.

"I’m 46 and playing against guys in their early 20s. They are forcing me to stay fit and healthy and to keep a sensible schedule.

"It was a marvellous moment tonight and great to share it with my family."