Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Match report
Reaction
Updated at 11.35 EST
Last word belongs to Macclesfield skipper Paul Dawson. Beyond scoring the opener, he was absolutely brilliant today, as pointed out by Wayne Rooney after the game. Here’s Dawson, who sometimes has a naughty word in him but not right now:
I won’t swear! It’s an immense achievement to be honest. I’m proud of the boys, proud of everyone, proud of the fans. You can see what it means to them. It’s a real community club and, yeah, I’m really proud.
Paul Dawson celebrates with supporters. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.24 EST
Some context as this all sinks in. This is the first time the holders have lost to non-league opposition since Crystal Palace themselves beat Wolves back in 1909 while in the Southern League.
Here’s more from Dominic Booth, who has seen all this with his own eyes.
Is that the biggest, greatest, most unexpected FA Cup upset of all time? I have just been one of the lucky 5,000 or so people to have witnessed it, whatever it is. The current scenes at Moss Rose are incredible, after thousands stormed onto the artificial pitch at the sound of the full time whistle. That they have knocked out the holders, and deserved to do so, is one of the greatest feats of modern history in this competition for sure. “The biggest result ever, I hope that’s what you’re writing,” is the message from one fan to the gathered media here. He might just be right.
Time for list of 10 other epic FA Cup shocks. Does this now go to No.1?
1. Hereford 2 Newcastle 1 (1972)
2. Blyth Spartans 3 Stoke 2 (1978)
3. Sutton 2 Coventry 1 (1989)
4. Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1 (1992)
5. Wycombe 2 Leicester 1 (2001)
6. Chelsea 2 Bradford 4 (2015)
7. Crawley 3 Leeds 0 (2021)
8. Cambridge 1 Newcastle 0 (2022)
9. Maidstone 2 Ipswich 1 (2024)
10. Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0 (2025)
The BBC close with Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. Their late singer, Ian Curtis, was a Macc lad.
Some quotes from Wayne Rooney, who is absolutely buzzing for his brother, John.
As good as Macclesfield were, I thought Crystal Palace were so bad today. In the Premier League where they’re playing nice football, today they got a mixture of Macclesfield roughing them up and they couldn’t deal with it. They absolutely couldn’t deal with it. So I think the manager, Glasner, would be absolutely disappointed. But this is about Macclesfield. I think what they’ve shown today is spectacular.
Here’s Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner. He looks in shock. And you can’t blame him.
Congratulations to Macclesfield for winning. We missed any kind of quality today. I haven’t seen anybody who could win a dribble. Conceding another set-play goal, losing the header, no timing in the header. We know this, but we have to do better. The second goal was a more slapstick goal. And on the other side, if you can’t create clear chances, we didn’t have really maybe one or two right at the end, but everything else is just a lack of quality, what we’ve shown today. And that’s why we lost and we deserve to lose. Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen today.
Winning manager John Rooney is looking remarkably calm, unlike brother Wayne who is welling up. The Macclesfield boss speaks to the BBC.
The message at half-time was to manage the game, can we slow the game down, and then we go and go 2-0 up. I didn’t see that coming, but I thought we were well deserved winners, to be honest, I thought we deserved to be the winners. I think we limited them to one chance in the first half.
Asked if he could have dreamt this was possible.
Probably not, but there’s always that little bit of hope, just that little bit of hope that anything can happen on the day, but I didn’t see it coming, I’ll be totally honest.
A massive 117 places separate these sides. 117! It’s the biggest gap ever overturned in the FA Cup. It’s the first time a non-league side have knocked out the holders since 1909! 1909! It is truly one of the greatest shocks in this wonderful tournament’s history. Sensational. Absolutely sensational. Wayne Rooney is just about in tears on the BBC, so happy for his brother John the Macclesfield manager.
Beaming Macclesfield manager John Rooney celebrates his team’s victory. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.29 EST
FULL-TIME! It’s all over! Macclesfield have done it!!
The biggest FA Cup shock ever? Just maybe! Wow.
Let the celebrations begin. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersMacclesfield’s Paul Dawson (in headband) and teammates celebrate. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersMacclesfield Town’s Josh Kay celebrates with fans. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PASam Heathcote has a celebratory beer. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.24 EST
90+7 min: Richards sends in a long throw … no he doesn’t! IT’S A FOUL THROW! That could be that!
90+6 min: Wharton balloons over the bar on the half-volley from the edge of the box. Probably time for one more Palace attack …
Updated at 09.10 EST
90+5 min: Menayese smashes clear and Mellor forces Mitchell to put the ball out for a throw in. Not much more than 100 seconds left here.
90+4 min: Uche goes down in the box … no penalty. That looked close.
90+3 min: A couple of hoofs clear provide a smidgeon of breathing room.
90+2 min: Macclesfield can’t get out here. They’re pinned into their own final third, clinging on …
90+1 min: Six minutes of added time to be played. Six long, long minutes.
ShareGOAL! Macclesfield 2-1 Crystal Palace (Pino 90)
90 min: … Pino steps up and curls a beauty past Dearnley. We’re not quite done yet.
Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino pulls a goal back for the holders, is it too little, too late?
Photograph: Chris Radburn/ReutersShare
Updated at 09.11 EST
89 min: Mellor fouls Guehi on the edge of the Macc D. Free-kick to Palace and a very dangerous one …
88 min: There can surely never have been more contrasting back-to-back Cup performances than Palace’s here and at Wembley in May. They’ve been dire. But they’re not quite done yet.
87 min: Casey is caught offside as more time slips through Palace fingers.
86 min: Each second must feel like an hour for those Macclesfield fans.
85 min: The teenage substitute Casey pulls down Menayese with Palace building up a head of steam. Macc get chance to breathe again.
84 min: Tick-tock, tick-tock …
83 min: Pino finds Uche unmarked in the box … but he turns his header over the bar from 10 yards out.
82 min: The ball trundles across the Macclesfield goalline not once but twice! Sosa puts in the first, no one gets a touch. Pino, I think, returned it – again no one can turn it home.
81 min: … swung in and cleared away. Time is slipping away from Palace though.
80 min: Wharton lets the ball roll out, expecting a goal-kick … but it’s a corner …
79 min: Macclesfield subs: Duffy, Kay and Lacey off. Matheson, Borthwick-Jackson and Dos Santos on.
Updated at 08.54 EST
78 min: Heathcote goes into the book after foiling a Palace breakaway. Clever booking that, as that is just the sort of broken-play situation Palace are looking for.
76 min: One-way traffic at this point as Palace push for a way back into the game. But Mellor dispossesses Guéhi on halfway, forcing the Palace man to bring him down. He gets a yellow card, Macc get a moment to breathe.
75 min: Sutton United 2-1 Coventry City in 1989? Hereford United 2-1 Newcastle United in 1972? Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal in 1992? This might trump them all. Fifteen to go.
74 min: Dearnley again stands firm as another effort flashes towards the Macc goal. The pressure is increasing, as surely it must. Can they hold on?
73 min: Great save! Dearnley does superbly to turn away Wharton’s fizzing effort after the Palace midfielder pounces on a loose ball.
72 min: Palace have about 20 minutes to save themselves here, from what would be – or certainly what would have a very good claim to be – the biggest FA Cup shock of all time.
71 min: Duffy swings in a corner but Benitez claims comfortably.
70 min: 17-year-old Ben Casey replaces Devenny for Palace as Glasner rolls the dice in increasing desparation.
69 min: Uche has the ball in the net but his header is ruled out for offside.
68 min: Devenny shoots from the edge of the box but Heathcote nods his effort clear.
66 min: Here’s Dominic Booth at an increasingly febrile Moss Rose: “This is turning into an FA Cup giant killing of mammoth proportions. Macclesfield are 2-0 up against the Cup holders and they’ve looked every inch the top flight side … whereas Oliver Glasner’s team have been utterly listless. The fact the Silkmen are now pushing for a third – which would be ludicrous – tells you how crazy this game has been. The home fans are loving every second of it, while the masses of Palace fans behind the goal are stunned into silence.”
65 min: So close! Uche gets himself into a touch of space in the Macc box, fires across goal, but sees his effort zip a foot wide of the post.