Fulham – Burnley (0-2) will forever be remembered as the first Premier League match officiated by a female referee. Rebecca Welch had the honor of directing the competition on Saturday and received the necessary compliments afterwards.
There was plenty to do on Saturday for the referees in the Premier League. The second yellow card that Nottingham Forest player Willy Boly received after an apparently correct sliding on the ball and the penalty not given to Liverpool after a handball from Martin Ødegaard in the top match against Arsenal set tongues wagging. But emotions did not flare up around Welch’s decisions – who handed out three yellow cards.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany visited the referee afterwards. “I wanted to congratulate her because it is a great moment,” Kompany said. “After the match it is fair to recognize that this is a milestone and that there can be more matches. The best part is always when someone is judged on his or her merit and she certainly earned her scoop. I’m happy to be part of this moment.”
Losing manager Marco Silva was less talkative after the defeat. He characterized Welch’s debut as a “normal performance”, indicating that the debutante had at least not disadvantaged his team with crucial errors.