Darts: Taylor and Lewis through to Las Vegas quarter-finals
Defending champion Taylor showed no mercy against his great rival to restrict Priestley to only two darts at a double in a superb showing.
He will join Adrian Lewis in the quarter finals, although Andy Hamilton lost to James Wade in the second round of the competition
"I didn't feel comfortable but I had to do it," said a tearful Taylor after his win. "Dennis didn't play as well as he could do and I don't like beating him like that.
"He'd have done the same to me and I had a job to do, but it is very difficult to beat a fellow pro 8-0. He's a great guy and I feel for him."
Taylor landed a 180 with his second visit to the oche, and took the first leg on double 16 before landing two 13-darters to move 3-0 up.
Opening scores of 140 and 180 in the fourth sent him clear, with double top extending the lead before he took advantage of a missed dart from Priestley at the same bed in the next to lead 5-0.
Priestley fired in a 180 in the sixth leg, but Taylor denied him a chance to get off the mark by landing double four, and another 14-dart leg sent the Stoke legend to the brink of victory which he clinched.
He will now take on Gary Anderson in today's quarter-finals, with the Scot seeing off Wes Newton to continue his strong Desert Classic debut.
Adrian Lewis stormed past Peter Manley 8-1 to reach the quarter-finals. Manley had defeated Lewis in the past two years of the Desert Classic, but the youngster showed maturity and class in a professional display.
He hit five maximums and reeled off eight successive legs to seal victory.
Meanwhile, Andy Hamilton lost out 4-8 to James Wade after the world number two followed up his win over Phillip Hazel on Thursday with a strong performance to overcome Hamilton.
Hamilton started well, kicking off the match with a 180 and holding his throw for a 2-1 lead before Wade landed double top for the second time in the game to level.
Hamilton hit a ten-darter in leg eight and another in the tenth to reduce the gap to 6-4 - but crucially missed four darts at a double in the next.
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