# Macclesfield’s FA Cup upset over Crystal Palace shakes up the holders

The event date is 2026-01-10.

Macclesfield have produced one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history by beating holders Crystal Palace 2-1, a result BBC Sport described as the competition’s greatest upset in terms of league places.

The sixth-tier side were 117 places below the Premier League champions, but the gap did not show on the pitch for much of the match. Macclesfield took the lead through Paul Dawson’s header in the first half, then doubled it after the break when Isaac Buckley-Ricketts finished off a second chance. Palace’s Yeremy Pino gave the visitors late hope with a free-kick in stoppage time, but Macclesfield held on.

That sequence matters because the result was not just a cup tie won on penalties or a lucky late break. Macclesfield were ahead for most of the contest and forced Palace to chase the game. The report says Palace had more of the ball but struggled to create meaningful chances, which makes the result more convincing than the scoreline alone suggests.

The upset also lands at a difficult moment for Palace. The report says they had won the FA Cup last May by beating Manchester City, so this defeat ended their defence at the first hurdle. It also extended a poor run of form: they were winless in nine games at the time of the match. That background explains why the loss was so damaging for the holders.

For Macclesfield, the victory carries a broader club history. The report reminds readers that the original Macclesfield Town ceased trading in 2020 before the phoenix club was reformed and climbed three divisions in four seasons. That context matters because the result is not just a giant-killing story, but one about a club rebuilt from collapse and now capable of beating Premier League opposition.

The team is managed by John Rooney, younger brother of Wayne Rooney, and the report says his side play with confidence and purpose. That style was evident in the win. Macclesfield’s discipline, set-piece strength and willingness to keep attacking turned a symbolic dream into a real result.

BBC also notes the emotional backdrop after the death of forward Ethan McLeod in a car accident in December. The report does not claim the tragedy caused the win, but it does frame the result as one the players dedicated to his memory. That gives the victory an emotional weight beyond the football itself.

The result will be remembered because it combined rarity, history and control. Non-league teams do beat top-flight sides in the FA Cup from time to time, but the report says this was the biggest upset by league positions and one of the few such wins in the competition’s last century.

For Macclesfield, that means a place in FA Cup folklore. For Palace, it means an early exit and a reminder that possession and reputation do not protect a team when a lower-league opponent is organised, committed and clinical.

For Palace, the loss is another reminder that cup football punishes control without penetration. For Macclesfield, it is a result that redefines what this rebuilt club can do when the draw hands it a Premier League heavyweight.