In a stunning turn of events, nonleague Macclesfield achieved one of the most significant FA Cup upsets by defeating the reigning champions, Crystal Palace, with a remarkable 2-1 victory in the third round on Saturday.
Reformed in 2020 following the dissolution of Macclesfield Town, the Silkmen are 117 places below Palace in the league hierarchy. However, they outperformed a lackluster Eagles side, creating new history for a club rebounding from adversity.
Macclesfield’s dynamic captain, Paul Dawson, headed them into the lead just two minutes shy of halftime. Crystal Palace struggled to respond and, on the hour mark, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts extended the Silkmen’s lead.
A late free kick from Yeremy Pino in the 90th minute set up a tense finish with six minutes of stoppage time, but despite having lifted the FA Cup just eight months prior, Palace delivered a disappointing performance, allowing Macclesfield fans to flood the pitch in celebration of an iconic win.
This defeat marks the first occasion in over a century that the FA Cup holders have lost to a nonleague team, the last being Palace’s own victory over Wolves in 1909 when they were part of the Southern League.
The day was particularly poignant for Macclesfield, who are still grieving the loss of forward Ethan McLeod, who tragically died in a car accident on December 16. He was just 21 years old.
Under the leadership of John Rooney, Macclesfield paid tribute to McLeod with a spirited performance against a Palace team that made six changes but retained key players, including England internationals Marc Guéhi and Adam Wharton.
The Eagles did not register a shot on goal until the 13th minute, when Pino’s attempt went wide. A much closer effort came from Christantus Uche in the 28th minute with a dipping shot, but Macclesfield keeper Max Dearnley wasn’t seriously tested as the confidence within the nonleague side grew.
Josh Kay had just missed with a shot when he was fouled by Kaden Rodney. From the subsequent free kick, Dawson exploited Palace’s weakness on set pieces, heading the ball into the back of the net just before the halftime whistle.
Responding to the first-half struggles, Oliver Glasner made three substitutions at halftime, bringing on Tyrick Mitchell, Will Hughes, and Brennan Johnson, yet Palace remained lackluster in attack and increasingly shaky in defense.
Despite clearing a threatening attempt from Buckley-Ricketts, Palace failed to find their rhythm. A poor back header from Guéhi almost allowed D’Mani Mellor to capitalize, with James Edmondson also unable to convert a free kick into a goal.
– FA Cup third round upsets this weekend: Macclesfield, Wrexham giant killers
The Eagles struggled to find their footing and soon found themselves trailing 2-0 after Buckley-Ricketts’ opportunistic goal. Following a blocked shot from Lewis Fensome, Buckley-Ricketts was quick to react, finding the back of the net as Benitez was left wrong-footed.
Only after falling behind did Palace show signs of life. Uche came close with a shot that went narrowly wide, and a header was later ruled out for offside. An effort from Wharton was also deflected out, but Macclesfield held firm until the end, despite a late foul by Mellor on Guehi which led to Pino’s free-kick goal. Ultimately, however, it was too late for Palace to stage a comeback.