LONDON: The FA Cup produced one of its most astonishing upsets in its 155-year history on Saturday as sixth-tier Macclesfield stunned holders Crystal Palace 2-1, delivering a result that reaffirmed the competition’s enduring reputation for fairytales.
Separated by 117 places in the English football pyramid, Macclesfield’s victory ranks among the most unlikely the tournament has seen. The National League North side, managed by John Rooney, the younger brother of England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, overcame the odds to etch their name into FA Cup folklore.
The triumph carried deep emotional weight for a club still coming to terms with the loss of 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod, who was killed in a car crash last month while returning from an away match. A banner bearing McLeod’s name hung behind the dugouts at Moss Rose, with his family present in the stands.
Macclesfield took the lead just before half-time through captain Paul Dawson and doubled their advantage in the 60th minute when Isaac Buckley-Ricketts reacted quickest to a scramble inside the penalty area. Palace struggled to impose themselves but pulled one back through Yeremy Pino’s late free-kick, setting up a tense finish.
Roared on by supporters chanting “Silkmen! Silkmen!”, Macclesfield held firm through six minutes of stoppage time to seal a famous victory. Fans spilled onto the pitch at the final whistle, while Dawson and goalkeeper Tom Duffy were carried aloft in celebration.
“I didn’t think it was possible, but there is always that little bit of hope that anything can happen on the day,” Rooney said. “We were incredible from the first minute.”
For Palace, the defeat was a sobering comedown, coming less than a year after lifting the FA Cup for the first time in their history. Manager Oliver Glasner admitted he was at a loss to explain the performance, while captain Marc Guehi went over to address the travelling supporters.
City slickers
Manchester City were ruthless at the other end of the spectrum, overwhelming third-tier Exeter City 10-1. New signing Antoine Semenyo marked his debut with a goal, while nine different players found the net as City equalled their biggest-ever win.
Rosenior’s first win
Chelsea marked new head coach Liam Rosenior’s first match in charge with a convincing 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic. Defender Jorrel Hato and Tosin Adarabioyo scored either side of half-time before Marc Guiu and substitutes Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez added gloss to the scoreline.
Elsewhere, Tottenham completed a miserable week with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers struck in the first half for Villa before Wilson Odobert pulled one back for Spurs, whose struggles continued after a late midweek loss in the league.