Rebecca Welch issues perfect response to Joey Barton after his stinging criticism of female Premier League ref

Rebecca Welch issued the perfect response to Joey Barton after he questioned her appointment as a Premier League referee.

Welch made history on Saturday when she became the first woman to take charge of a Premier League match.

She officiated Burnley's 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge the scorers for the visitors.

Ahead of the game, former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder Barton questioned Welch's appointment, claiming it "stank of tokenism".

Taking to X, he posted: "Fast tracked. RW was in League 2 a couple of years ago. I’m not sure she is good enough just yet. I hope she does well because it will set women back otherwise.

"I will be surprised if she has the athletic ability to keep up with play and see the full picture to make correct calls.

"Hope she doesn’t slow the game down to her speed, so she can survive the physical expenditure needed at PL level.

"Stinks of Tokenism. Let’s watch this space."

Barton's comments came after he said female presenters and commentators aren't "qualified" to speak about men's football.

He was also critical of Mary Earps' BBC Sports Personality of the Year win and claimed he would score 100 out of 100 penalties against her.

Welch gave the perfect response to Barton's most recent comments, overseeing the match between Fulham and Burnley without major controversy.

She did, however, have to give out three yellow cards to Fulham's Calvin Bassey and Joao Palhinha, and Burnley's Jordan Beyer.

Piers Morgan took to social media after the match to praise Welch's performance.

"Congrats to Rebecca Welch on becoming the first woman referee in the Premier League," he posted on X.

"By all accounts she had a very solid game, and was clearly there on merit, though every Fulham fan is now blaming her for their own players' dreadful performance.

"So, she should fit in very well!"