What the papers say

Newcastle United are confident of landing England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City , reports the Daily Telegraph. Juventus, Everton and Crystal Palace are also interested in the 28-year-old.

Manager Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are prepared to bolster the squad in January after injuries left them “exposed”, according to The Guardian. Arteta said the club would “try to make the right calls”.

Raphael Varane, 30, is being chased by former club Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, according to the Daily Mirror via Spanish outlet Sport. The Manchester United defender can negotiate a summer move from January with his contract up at the end of the season.

Any moves by Manchester United in the January transfer window will need to be cleared by Ineos after the company’s deal to buy a 25% share of the club.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Matthijs de Ligt: Arsenal are unlikely to make a move for the Dutch defender, 24, from Bayern Munich but he remains on their radar, reports The Athletic.

Antonee Robinson: Liverpool are interested in Fulham’s US full-back, 26, for a potential January signing, says 90 Min.

Fulham boss Marco Silva insisted his goalkeeper Bernd Leno “touched” but “didn’t push” a ball boy during the Cottagers’ 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

The second-half incident occurred when Leno went to collect the ball from the youngster’s outstretched hand before using his own hand to make deliberate contact with the shoulder of the ball boy, who appeared to take a step back for balance.

Leno, who seemed to take issue with the speed at which the ball was being returned, and had already been booked, was subjected to a chorus of boos.

The 31-year-old German later returned to apologise to the boy for the encounter, though his manager was adamant the interaction had been exaggerated.

Silva said: “Have you seen him pushing? I didn’t see this. Yes, he apologised. I spoke with Bernd about it.

“It’s clear he went to speak with the boy after that moment as the top professional that he is, the really experienced player that he is as well.

“He wanted to play quick. The ball boys, I don’t know who gave them instructions to hold always the ball to delay the beginning of the game again. OK, we are losing, he ran to the ball. I didn’t see him pushing.

“He touched the ball boy, he didn’t push the ball boy. They are different things, when you touch a ball boy or you push a ball boy. I am not English but I know the difference between one word and the other, and we have to say the truth in that moment.”

The PA news agency understands no action will be taken over the incident.

It was a low point of a frustrating afternoon for Silva’s men, who fell behind when Justin Kluivert scored on the stroke of half-time and a penalty needlessly conceded by Joao Palhinha allowed Dominic Solanke to score his 12th goal of the Premier League season – already more than he registered in his first 96 appearances in the competition.

Luis Sinisterra added a third in stoppage time as the Cherries extended their unbeaten run to seven and consigned Fulham to a third straight loss following back-to-back 5-0 victories to start the month.

Asked if he had complained about what he felt was a deliberate delay by the ball boys, Silva replied: “I was really so upset with our performance that I didn’t even have the energy to start to complain.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who watched on from the stands as he served a touchline ban, said he had not seen a replay of the incident but, when asked if the ball boys had been instructed to slow down, replied: “No, no, for sure there is no instruction, for sure. This I can guarantee.

“I don’t know what happened exactly, but I think everyone for sure has to be careful because they are boys that are trying to help everyone, not only Bournemouth.”

The Cherries travel to Tottenham on New Year’s Eve having now taken 19 points from the last 21 available and matching their longest unbeaten Premier League run set in 2017-18.

“We want to keep it going,” Iraola said. “We’re not as bad as we looked at the beginning of the season, we’re not as good as we look now probably today. We’re somewhere in the middle.”

Dominic Solanke continued his impressive scoring form with a second-half penalty as Bournemouth secured a 3-0 victory over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium.

Andoni Iraola made two changes from the Cherries’ win over Nottingham Forest, and they combined to create the opener as a fine run by Alex Scott set up Justin Kluviert’s opener just before half-time.

Solanke made Joao Palhinha pay for bringing down Antoine Semenyo inside the box shortly after the hour mark, before Luis Sinisterra put the icing on the cake with a third goal in stoppage time.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s frustrations got the better of him late on as he appeared to push a ball boy, later returning to apologise to the youngster who seemed to take the incident in stride.

It was Bournemouth’s first home contest since Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch on December 16, and a pre-match on-screen tribute honoured those who had come to the Welshman’s aide, including Cherries midfielder Philip Billing who was widely praised for his alert response.

The Denmark international began his afternoon on the bench in favour of Kluivert, with Scott slotting in for the injured Lewis Cook.

It was a back-and-forth beginning to the encounter, Solanke with his first crack at a fifth goal in as many league appearances against the Cottagers and 12th of the Premier League campaign blocked by Tosin Adarabioyo.

The hosts, with boss Iraola watching from the stands as he served a one-game touchline ban, maintained their slight edge in the opening exchanges, with Fulham winning a handful of set-pieces but creating little in the way of chances.

A neat move from Semenyo to feed Kluivert nearly set up an opener but they were thwarted by an excellent intervention from Adarabioyo, who was also in the right place to deny a second decent opportunity for Bournemouth after Leno spilled a cross.

Adarabioyo’s headed clearance avoided any embarrassment, but the hosts were ahead at the stroke of half-time thanks to a brilliant run into the 18-yard box from 20-year-old Scott from near the centre circle and pass to Kluivert, who finished underneath Leno into the far corner.

Fulham, who had enjoyed a near-equal amount of possession in the first half, returned with more purpose to start the second as Antonee Robinson quickly called Neto into action from a tight angle.

It was just past the hour mark when Joao Palhinha sent Semenyo tumbling inside the area and the response from referee Tim Robinson was immediate, Solanke sending Leno the wrong way to double his side’s advantage.

Rodrigo Muniz had a chance to claw one back with a close-range volley, while Leno found himself in late trouble and was treated to a chorus of jeers when he appeared to push the ball boy.

Sinisterra’s cross was inches away from the outstretched foot of David Brooks as the Cherries sought a third.

Brooks had two more chances of his own, but it was Sinisterra who curled past Leno to seal a convincing home triumph.

Vincent Kompany believes Rebecca Welch’s performance during Burnley’s 2-0 win over Fulham was a “milestone moment” after she became the first woman to take charge of a Premier League match on Saturday.

Wilson Odobert’s curled strike and Sander Berge’s magnificent solo effort confirmed Burnley’s first win since their 5-0 victory over Sheffield United on December 2.

Welch made history having previously refereed an FA Cup fixture in 2022 and an EFL match in 2021.

Kompany, who spoke to Welch at full-time, said: “I wanted to congratulate her because it’s a big moment.

“After the game it’s fair to say that it’s a milestone moment and may there be more, and the best thing will always be when someone is judged on merit.

“But you have to have a first and this is it, so well done (to her) and I’m happy to be part of this moment.”

Victory ended a run of three games without a win for Burnley, and Kompany credited his side’s decisions in key moments while also talking up Berge and Odobert’s quality for both of their goals.

He said: “It was a really good performance. In the key moments the team did well and we were able to remain dangerous in most phases of play whether we had the ball, defending, the loose balls.

“It helped us have a performance and gave us a chance.

“We shifted our feet quicker, we had the intent to go forward and be dangerous. When the ball gets to the final third, it’s the individual quality of the players and they did really well.”

The towering Berge received the ball on halfway and was not challenged by any Fulham player before he drove forward to add Burnley’s second.

It was a source of frustration for Fulham boss Marco Silva, who called on his Fulham to be more ruthless, admitting that the defending for Berge’s goal was not good enough.

He said: “It’s a disappointing result for us. We are not ruthless enough at this level and we were punished by that.

“We were dominant in the first half and we created chances and we should score.

“The second goal, it can not happen. We let the midfielder run with the ball without opposition. We were completely out of balance in that moment.”

Burnley scored two superb goals to give Vincent Kompany’s side a deserved victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League.

Two long-range strikes from Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge gave Burnley their first win since December 2.

The 2-0 score-line meant a second straight league defeat for Marco Silva’s Fulham following last week’s 3-0 setback at Newcastle.

Burnley were camped in Fulham’s half in the early stages and created a chance in the sixth minute.

Brazil international Vitinho tucked inside and played a whipped cross to the head of Lyle Foster whose effort sailed over the crossbar.

Fulham went close themselves in the 13th minute after a moment of brilliance from Harry Wilson.

The tricky Welshman picked up the ball on the edge of Burnley’s box, sliced through the defence before his outside of the boot shot was saved by James Trafford.

Two more quickfire chances through Timothy Castagne and Alex Iwobi showed the Cottagers’ intent but Fulham missed the quality of the suspended Raul Jimenez.

Referee Rebecca Welch became the first woman to take charge of a Premier League match and she brandished a yellow card to Calvin Bassey after the defender struck Josh Brownhill with his hand.

And the chance of the match came in first half added time. Andreas Pereira put a wide free-kick into the danger zone and after a scramble in the box, Iwobi’s strike was cleared off the line to keep it level.

Burnley came out the blocks fast in the second half and took a 1-0 lead after 47 minutes.

A neat piece of play deep into Fulham’s half saw the ball at the feet of Odobert who produced a wonderful, curved strike into the right-hand corner of Bernd Leno’s goal.

And after 66 minutes the Clarets stunned Fulham and took a 2-0 lead.

The towering Berge retrieved the ball on half-way and drove into space. He entered the edge of Fulham’s box where he rifled his strike past Leno to double his team’s lead.

Actor Hugh Grant, a Fulham fan, was in attendance to witness the two festive blockbusters which gave the Clarets all three points.

And his team failed to produce a positive reaction late on and looked off the pace during six added minutes.

Rebecca Welch will create history on Saturday by becoming the first female to referee a Premier League match.

Welch will complete her remarkable journey from the playing fields of north east England to the top flight when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

The 40-year-old from Washington in Tyne and Wear was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS when she began her refereeing career in 2010.

Welch gained her badges through the Durham County Football Association and climbed through the ranks after taking charge of university and Sunday league games.

Just over a decade later – and two-and-a-half years after becoming the first woman to referee an English Football League match – Welch’s decisions will be scrutinised by millions of fans around the world.

It is no place for the faint-hearted, but Welch, who became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game in November, breaks new ground with the backing of Burnley boss Vincent Kompany and Fulham counterpart Marco Silva.

“It’s certainly a benchmark and milestone,” Kompany said ahead of his side’s trip to London.

“I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.

“I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.

“We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.”

Both Kompany and Silva are adamant that their players will behave no differently with Welch in the middle rather than a male colleague.

Kompany said: “It shouldn’t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can’t see why we wouldn’t have that normality.

“Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.”

Silva said: “For us it will be a normal situation. Of course it will be the first time so everyone has to talk about it, but when the game starts it is going to be another Premier League game, with people with good ability to be a manager, a player or to be a referee.

“We will not even talk about it before the match because for us she is the ref, like she was the fourth official some weeks ago in our game against Manchester United, and for us it was a normal situation.

“We have to always respect all the officials and she’s going to be welcomed. She got this chance because she deserves it for sure and she has the ability to be at the level she is going to be.”

What the papers say

The Metro reports Tottenham have maintained their interest in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, with a view to a January approach. Citing Sky Sports, the paper says Tottenham’s interest has carried over from the summer, but Chelsea would be seeking big money for the 23-year-old following an impressive start to the season. Gallagher only has 18 months left on his contract, so the Blues would expect to sell him at some point in the next year unless he pens a new deal.

Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio is on the radar at Arsenal, according to The Sun. However, the paper says the Gunners are unlikely to make a move in the January window unless they are forced to act due to a serious injury cropping up.

The paper also says another of Tottenham’s interests, Tosin Adarabioyo, has informed Fulham of his intention to depart the club at the end of the season. The Cottagers have offered the 26-year-old defender a new deal, but he is expected to turn the offer down and become a free agent.

And The Sun reports West Ham and Everton are both circling for 20-year-old Peterborough defender Ronnie Edwards.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Kalvin Phillips: ESPN reports Juventus have entered talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for the England midfielder.

Borja Mayoral: Brentford, Crystal Palace and Fulham are all monitoring the Getafe striker, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Fulham head coach Marco Silva heaped praise on “special” Tosin Adarabioyo after the defender scored the winning penalty which secured the club a place in their first League Cup semi-final.

The 26-year-old was making only his sixth appearance of the season in the Carabao Cup tie at Everton, which the Cottagers won 7-6 in a shoot-out after the game finished 1-1, due to groin surgery in the summer.

But Silva said the centre-back had already made a difference since he returned late last month.

“He is a key player for us. He is one of the leaders in our dressing room and we need these guys to step in in the right moments and he did it,” he said.

“We missed him a lot, we missed him because he didn’t play the first three months of the season. Tosin is a special player for us, I can’t hide that situation.

“The way he can defend the box but also on the ball he is a special player for me, the way I want to play, the way he can build (from the back).

“For three months we missed him but he has just played the last four or five games and he is getting better and better.

“A great performance from him against Everton and to be able to take the last decision to be deciding the game he deserves all the credit.”

Having guided the team to last season’s FA Cup quarter-finals, where they lost at Manchester United after controversially being reduced to nine men by the dismissals of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian – Silva himself was also red-carded – the Fulham boss insists he does not need progress in cup competitions to tell him how well the side are doing.

“I don’t need it really but it shows the players we are in the right direction,” he added.

“My ambition is always more and more and more. It doesn’t matter about the past of the club.

“Last season we achieved the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and there was so much more in the game at Old Trafford.

“We are in a very good moment even though we lost the last (league) game against Newcastle.

“We have been approaching this competition as we approach a Premier League game. I rotated some players but even so we were able to go through the competition.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche insists he is more concerned with the mentality shown by players in choosing to take a penalty in a shoot-out than he is by the style employed.

The Toffees exited the Carabao Cup on spot-kicks for the fourth time in six years after Amadou Onana’s weak, placed effort to put them through with their fifth and final regulation effort was saved by Fulham’s Bernd Leno.

Idrissa Gana Gueye hit the post in sudden death and Tosin Adarabioyo scored to send the Cottagers into their first League Cup semi-final 7-6 in the shoot-out, after Toffees substitute Beto’s 82nd-minute equaliser had cancelled out Michael Keane’s first-half own goal.

“Everyone has a style of penalty which they think can score. His record has been very strong in all the rounds and when we’ve practised them. That’s his style,” said Dyche of Onana’s disappointing effort.

“If you are brave enough to get up there and take one then you have to be brave enough for the consequences.

“The first question is always who doesn’t want to take one. Simple as that because you need to want to take one. I’m pleased to say the whole group said they would take one.

“It is the moment of truth: the ball’s there, you have to put it in the net.”

Fulham offered little in the way of attacking threat – their only shot on target did not arrive until the 68th minute – but head coach Marco Silva was pleased with the way his side responded to conceding a late equaliser.

“We are all delighted, no doubts about it,” said the former Everton manager, who ended his old club’s four-match winning run.

“It was a huge moment from Bernd when he kept us in the game with the fifth penalty from Onana.

“I am really delighted because it is not easy to keep the composure and quality in the penalty shoot-out.

“We achieved something the club never did in the past. We want more but we are really delighted for this evening and the moment we are living.

“We are going to play the semi-finals with the dream to play at Wembley.”

Fulham captain Tosin Adarabioyo scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Everton which put the club into their first Carabao Cup semi-final.

The Toffees’ hero from their second-round comeback win at Doncaster, Beto came off the bench to score a late equaliser after Michael Keane’s own goal but in sudden death in the spot-kicks, Idrissa Gana Gueye hit the post and Adarabioyo scored to send the Cottagers through 7-6.

It was the fourth time in the last six seasons Everton had exited the competition on penalties and brought to end a four-match winning run as their hopes of a first semi-final appearance in seven years were dashed.

Head coach Eddie Howe saluted teenager Lewis Miley after he set Newcastle on the way to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Fulham by becoming the club’s youngest Premier League goalscorer.

The 17-year-old midfielder, who had been introduced as a first-half replacement for the injured Joelinton, ended the visitors’ stubborn resistance with a 57th-minute opener at the age of 17 years and 229 days and paved the way for Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn to wrap up the win.

Howe said: “I’m delighted for him. Today was his moment, put in by Bruno’s [Guimaraes] brilliant run and did he have the composure in front of the Gallowgate to score a massive goal in our season? He did and I’m delighted for him.

“We tried to manage his minutes today and give him a little rest but it didn’t turn out that way.”

Miley’s maiden goal could hardly have been better timed with Newcastle labouring in their attempts to break down a Fulham outfit who had circled the wagons in the wake of Raul Jimenez’s 22nd-minute dismissal for a wild challenge on Sean Longstaff.

Almiron doubled the dose within seven minutes before Burn added a third as time ran down to clinch a seventh successive league win at St James’ Park and salve some of the disappointment of Wednesday night’s Champions League exit.

Howe, who also saw defender Fabian Schar limp off before half-time, said: “It was always going to be, even with 11 v 10.

“Today was never going to be free-flowing, buccaneering, entertaining football because of so many different reasons, the injuries we’ve got, what happened in midweek, the emotion we expended there.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Newcastle United FC (@nufc)

“The big challenge for us was were we able to recover mentally and lift ourselves to win a really tricky game and I can’t credit the players enough for how they’ve handled today.

“Added to that fact, we lost two massive players as well during the first half so even more reason really to celebrate the players that were on the pitch today and how well they did.”

The Magpies will now start preparations for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final trip to Chelsea with doubts over Schar and Joelinton, who are nursing muscle injuries.

Fulham boss Marco Silva left Tyneside unimpressed with referee Sam Barrott, who issued a red card to Jimenez following a VAR review minutes after he had himself been caught by Jamaal Lascelles’ arm.

Silva said: “It is a clear foul on Raul but in the opinion of the referee it was not a foul. After the elbow, Raul has to be much more calm, do not go to challenge in that way.

“The ball was not there to challenge – although the way he jumped in at the player, it was not a serious challenge for me.

“Two minutes before, the same VAR didn’t even check the elbow. Everything was strange in terms of the decisions.

“Newcastle are a very good side but before the match I really thought this was a good moment to come and match them and fight them.

“But at the same time, you have to come with a referee with the right experience and ability to be able to handle the pressure. In my opinion, this afternoon, that was not the situation.”

Seventeen-year-old Lewis Miley’s first senior goal set Newcastle on their way to a seventh successive Premier League win at St James’ Park as they beat 10-man Fulham 3-0.

The midfielder, thrust into the action as a first-half substitute after Fabian Schar and Joelinton had been added to head coach Eddie Howe’s lengthy casualty list, fired the Magpies into a 57th-minute lead and saw Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn follow suit to clinch a hard-fought victory.

Fulham, who had striker Raul Jimenez sent off with just 22 minutes gone after needlessly careering into and flooring midfielder Sean Longstaff, frustrated the hosts for long periods but eventually succumbed in front of a crowd of 52,035.

Howe had insisted in advance there could be no hangover from Wednesday night’s Champions League exit and his players set about their task with relish in a bid to end a run of three consecutive defeats.

In the absence of the suspended Kieran Trippier, defender Schar took charge at a fifth-minute free-kick and after tapping the ball short to Anthony Gordon, he whipped a curling shot just wide of Bernd Leno’s left post.

However, the visitors, who had scored five without reply in each of their last two matches, had arrived intent on taking advantage of any weariness among the black and white ranks and repeatedly stretched the home defence on the counter.

Bruno Guimaraes fired high over from Gordon’s 17th-minute pull-back after Jamaal Lascelles had muscled Jimenez off the the ball with the striker needing treatment after being caught by a flailing arm.

The frontman was even more aggrieved five minutes later when, after referee Sam Barrott had been invited to review his ugly challenge on Longstaff, the official upgraded the yellow card he had originally awarded to a red.

Newcastle came desperately close to the opening goal on the half-hour when Gordon controlled substitute Emil Krafth’s cross and smashed a left-foot shot against the underside of the bar before Callum Wilson headed straight at Leno from Gordon’s cross.

Burn then did just enough to put Alex Iwobi off as he shot having run on to Joelinton’s loose pass with Martin Dubravka having earlier fielded Joao Palhinha’s long-range attempt.

Leno denied Longstaff after he had run on to Tino Livramento’s through ball and the half-time whistle arrived with the sides still locked together.

Guimaraes drilled a speculative effort straight at Leno as the home side resumed on the front foot but lacking the necessary invention or precision to fashion genuine opportunities until Gordon sent Leno full-stretch from Wilson’s lay-off seconds before Miley tested him with a rising drive.

However, it was the academy graduate who finally made the breakthrough with 57 minutes gone when, after Guimaraes had driven into the penalty area, he fired low across Leno and inside the far post.

The second goal arrived within seven minutes when Gordon’s through ball evaded Wilson and defender Antonee Robinson and fell nicely for Almiron to slot into an empty net.

It was three with eight minutes remaining, Burn bundling home at the far post after Leno had repelled his initial header.

Eddie Howe will look back on his first Champions League campaign and agonise over the “if only” moments which cost Newcastle a place in the last 16.

The 46-year-old head coach steered the Magpies to within touching distance of the knockout stage only for their qualification hopes to be dashed by Wednesday night’s 2-1 home defeat by AC Milan, during which they were in pole position to progress when they led 1-0.

Instead of looking forward to the draw for the next round, Howe is instead preparing his injury-hit squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Fulham, with the controversial penalty decision which cost them victory at Paris St Germain and their failure to deal with the set-piece which led to Milan’s equaliser prominent in his thoughts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UEFA Champions League (@championsleague)

He said: “We were so close, so, so close while being really stretched with our resources, and that’s why I have to compliment the players on what they’ve given.

“It could have been very different and I just think we should take confidence from the fact that the hardest group, we were so close to achieving it.”

Newcastle secured a Champions League berth for the first time in 20 years courtesy of their fourth-place finish last season, an achievement which arrived barely 18 months into the tenure of their Saudi-backed owners and significantly ahead of schedule.

Asked if he had spoken to the ownership group and what had been said in the wake of Wednesday night’s disappointment, Howe replied: “ I think they see the work that goes on behind closed doors and they have close relationships with the players. We are like a family, we’re very close.

“That’s not just me with them, it’s everybody connected with the club. There’s just that feeling that they’re very supportive of the players and understanding of how much they’ve given. They can see the efforts on the pitch, and I think that’s the most important thing.

“That’s why I have no regrets over what the players have given over this Champions League campaign. I might have regrets over a couple of other things, but not at all over what the players have given. That’s always the biggest judgement for me.

“If you’re looking at it analytically, the players did incredibly well last year to finish where they did. It was miles ahead of schedule because, in pre-season, no one was talking about top four or Champions League football.

“You have to give the players a lot of credit, so what you can’t then do is give them a lot of credit and then hammer them at the same time because we couldn’t then follow that up.”

Howe did, however, admit that the exit from Europe could have financial implications for his January transfer budget.

He said: “Of course, going out of Europe will have repercussions financially for us because we’re going to lose revenue on games that we could have had, but that’s all been budgeted for and we’ll see where we stand.”

Influential full-back Kieran Trippier will miss Saturday’s game through suspension, while midfielder Joe Willock and striker Harvey Barnes, who has suffered a setback in his recovery from a toe injury, are unlikely to figure before the turn of the year.

Rebecca Welch is not the first footballer to have told a referee just how they should do their job – but a decade later, it is her own decisions which are now set to be front and centre in the Premier League.

On December 23, Welch will break new ground once again when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

Yet but for taking one of her friends to task, Welch, 40, might never have given refereeing a go herself.

“I played football and didn’t even think about refereeing until one of my really good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said in an interview with the Independent in November ahead of becoming the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match for Fulham against Manchester United.

“I spent the whole game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, ‘If you think it’s that easy, give it a go’. That’s how it happened and 10 years later, here I am.”

Welch’s love of the game stemmed from playing, but it was with the whistle where she made her mark.

At the start of her refereeing career in 2010, Welch, who is from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS.

After gaining her badges through the Durham County Football Association, Welch began taking charge of university games as well as in Sunday leagues.

It was, though, not long before she took it up on a full-time basis and soon climbed through the ranks.

Welch has regularly refereed high-profile games in the Women’s Super League and took charge of the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley.

She has also officiated in the Women’s Champions League, the latest fixture being Benfica’s 1-0 win over Frankfurt on December 13.

Added to FIFA’s elite list of international officials during December 2020, Welch was part of the team at the 2022 Women’s Euros as well as this year’s Women’s World Cup, which included refereeing hosts Australia in their last-16 win over Denmark.

Welch is also no stranger to firsts in the men’s game.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Walsh later took on matches in the Championship – she was in charge of Hull’s 4-1 win over Rotherham on November 28 – and also the third round of the FA Cup.

Despite Welch now set to find herself in the spotlight, with every decision under the microscope at Craven Cottage on December 23, she is not about to let anything distract her from just getting on with the job, according to referee’s chief Howard Webb.

“Rebecca is a really calm, focused individual on the field. She does command a lot of respect in a pretty understated way. When you meet her, she’s got a presence about her,” Webb said.

“She has a good reading of the game, she is an accurate decision maker, a good athlete on the field too and has really worked hard to get to this position over several years.

“She has good reading of the game, good subtle management of the players as well and I have got no doubt she will show all of those qualities at Fulham on the 23rd.”

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in the Premier League when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley on December 23.

Welch became a referee in 2010, balancing the role alongside her job in the NHS.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Welch, who comes from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was also the first woman to referee matches in the Championship and third round of the FA Cup.

Last month she became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game as part of the officiating team for Fulham against Manchester United.

During her career, Welch has also officiated high-profile matches in the Women’s Super League, twice refereeing the Women’s FA Cup final and she has also taken charge of international matches, including at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.