Inside Rebecca Welch's historic rise in football: How the Premier League's first female referee went from having kick-abouts on the street with her friends to becoming one of England's most senior officials

She once said she never wanted to be a referee.

But Rebecca Welch yesterday made history by becoming the first female to take charge of a Premier League match.

And the big moment for the 40-year-old came at Fulham's Craven Cottage, where the West London team took on Burnley.

After high-fiving the teams' mascots in the tunnel, Ms Welch entered the pitch for her warm-up to rapturous applause.

But tempers flared on the 24th minute when home fans chanted 'You don't know what you're doing', after she booked Calvin Bassey for a contentious foul on Burnley's Josh Brownhill.