Mark Allen admitted he had to patient in his last-16 encounter with Neil Robertson as he booked his place in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.

Robertson led 4-3 and 5-4, before Allen hit two centures in the final two frames as he sealed his last-eight place in York.

Allen revealed his frustrations at not getting the rub of the green at time in the match, despite feeling confident in his game.

But the Northern Ireland potter kept belief and won the contest, with Stephen Maguire the next test as he looks to reach the semi-finals.

“I was in complete control of three frames and managed to lose all three by one point – that hurt because it felt like I was playing the better snooker," he said. 

“Somehow, I went 4-3 down and then 5-4 down, and from there, against a class act like Neil, you’re not going to win that often.

“But I closed out the last two frames with two hundreds and I don’t think there are many better ways to close out a match.

“I was starting to think it wasn’t going to be my day, but I had to be patient. I knew my game was in good shape, so you have to wait for your chances and take them when they come.”

Watch the Snooker UK Championship LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds