Non-league Macclesfield FC authored the greatest upset in the 154-year history of the FA Cup on Saturday, dumping defending champions Crystal Palace out of the competition with a -1 victory at a rocking Moss Rose.
The Silkmen, who play in the sixth-tier National League North, bridged a staggering 117-place gap in the English football pyramid; the largest ever overcome in the tournament. In doing so, they became the first non-league side to eliminate the cup holders since Crystal Palace themselves performed the feat against Wolves in 1909.
The victory was a tactical and emotional triumph for manager John Rooney. While his older brother, England legend Wayne Rooney, watched from the BBC commentary gantry in tears, John orchestrated a performance that left Oliver Glasner’s Premier League stars looking anonymous.
Captain Paul Dawson ignited the miracle in the 43rd minute. Sporting a head bandage from an earlier collision, Dawson rose highest to power home a Luke Duffy free-kick, sending the sell-out crowd of 5,348 into a frenzy.
The lead was doubled on the hour mark through Isaac Buckley-Ricketts. After a chaotic goalmouth scramble that saw multiple Palace clearances blocked, Buckley-Ricketts twisted to steer a low effort past a wrong-footed Walter Benítez.
"It still doesn’t feel real," said John Rooney. "I spoke before the game about having hope, but did I really believe it? Probably not. But we were deserved winners. What these players have created is something unbelievable."
Beyond the tactics, Macclesfield played with the weight of recent tragedy. The club is still mourning the loss of 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod, who died in a car accident just last month. A picture of McLeod hung in the dugout, and his parents were in attendance to witness the historic result.
John Rooney revealed he had received a message from McLeod’s father the night before the game: "I didn’t want to put that extra pressure on the lads before the game. We’ve all stuck together through a really tough time. This was for him."
Oliver Glasner made six changes to the side that drew with Aston Villa in midweek, but even the second-half introductions of Brennan Johnson and Will Hughes failed to stem the tide. Yeremy Pino offered a glimmer of hope with a stunning 90th-minute free-kick, but it proved too little, too late for the holders.
"We lacked everything today," a furious Glasner remarked post-match. "To explain that performance or find an excuse would be completely wrong. We deserved to lose."
The victory marks a staggering rise for a club that was liquidated and expelled from the National League five years ago before being rebuilt from the ninth tier. As fans swarmed the pitch at full-time, the "Magic of the Cup" found its newest, and perhaps most unlikely, protagonists.
