From the outset, Anderson set a ferocious tone. He swept through the opening set 3-0, breaking early and repeatedly punishing Hood's missed chances. The Flying Scotsman was already piling on pressure with heavy scoring, and his intent was unmistakable.
Hood showed admirable resolve in the second set, breaking back twice and producing moments of real quality to level the match at 1-1. It was a reminder of why the Englishman had become one of the stories of the tournament. Anderson, though, barely blinked.
The third set was decisive in shifting momentum. Anderson unleashed a brutal three-leg burst, firing in maximums, breaking twice and racing through a 3-0 set that reasserted his control.
Hood responded once more in set four, producing a brilliant 120 checkout in the decider to drag the contest back to 2-2, keeping the tie alive through sheer nerve.
Anderson shuts the door
Anderson elevated his game in the fifth set, dismantling 127, 98 and then taking out 121 first dart in a stunning display of finishing to surge back in front at 3-2. Hood began to feel the strain, and the missed doubles that had been forgiven earlier were now punished without mercy.
Set six underlined the gap. Hood struck first, but crucial misses at double 20 and double eight proved fatal. Anderson pounced with clinical 72 and 98 checkouts before sealing the set 3-1 to move one away from victory.
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Anderson opened the seventh set with a swaggering 161 checkout, reduced 160 calmly to break, and although he missed four match darts, his composure never wavered. Double six ended the contest and confirmed a 5-2 win.
Anderson averaged just under 100, won the match 18-7 in legs and converted 46.15 per cent of his doubles, with a relentless stream of 140s forming the backbone of his performance.
It is his eighth World Championship semi-final appearance, a statistic that speaks to sustained excellence.
The two-time champion will now face the winner of Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen, carrying momentum, confidence and the unmistakable air of a player who knows exactly how to peak when it matters most.
'Over the moon'
"I felt under control at certain stages," Anderson told Sky Sports.
"But I would make a mess of it and he would come back, the next minute it's 2-2.
"I started to get into a rhythm at the end, so I'm over the moon to get through!"
"Luke Littler is the greatest on the planet right now, but what Luke Humphries has done over the last three years defending his money, he's there or thereabouts. He's a top class player."
Searle stops Clayton
Ryan Searle produced a relentless, statement performance to dismantle Jonny Clayton 5-2 and storm into the World Championship semi-finals, overpowering the Welshman with sustained pressure and superior finishing in the first match of the day.
From the opening set, Searle dictated terms. Clayton scored heavily but was immediately punished for missed chances, Searle breaking early and sealing the opener with a superb 125 checkout.
It set the tone for a brutal first phase of the match. The second set was even more emphatic, highlighted by a clinical 116 finish and a crushing 171 that helped Heavy Metal race into a 2-0 lead while Clayton, averaging over 103, found himself stranded on the doubles.
The pattern continued in the third. Clayton battled, but every slip was seized upon. Searle repeatedly punished misses on tops, pinning the same bed with metronomic calm to extend his advantage to 3-0.
The quarter-final looked to be running away from Clayton, whose frustration was reflected in a mounting tally of missed doubles.
Clayton finally found traction in the fourth, breaking early and steadying his finishing to claim the set and give the contest brief life.
Heavy Metal hits hard
For a moment, the momentum flickered again in set six, as Clayton unleashed a defiant response with an 11-darter and thunderous maximums to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished swiftly. Searle tightened the screw once more in the seventh, breaking immediately and never allowing Clayton to settle.
A composed 14-dart opener, followed by an 87 finish and another maximum, carried him to the brink. Double eight sealed the set, the match, and a commanding 5-2 victory.
Searle moves into the semi-finals having climbed to world number seven and secured £200,000 in prize money, his finishing once again the decisive weapon.
The quarter-finals continue on Thursday evening at Alexandra Palace, as Luke Littler takes on Krzysztof Ratajski and Luke Humphries faces Gian van Veen.