Macclesfield make FA Cup history on emotional day

Non-league Macclesfield beat FA Cup holders Crystal Palace 2-1 in a match marked by celebration and emotion. The club honoured the memory of 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod, who died in December.

Non-league Macclesfield defeated FA Cup holders Crystal Palace 2-1 at Moss Rose, prompting fans to enter the pitch and lift captain Paul Dawson in celebration. Dawson played with a head bandage after an early clash and became a visible symbol of the team's spirit. The result involved a difference of five divisions and 117 league places, which the report describes as the largest gap in the competition's history. The game was also charged with emotion because the club was remembering forward Ethan McLeod, who died in a car accident in December. Match and context: - Macclesfield beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the FA Cup at Moss Rose, with fans celebrating on the pitch. - The club is five divisions and 117 places below Crystal Palace, a gap noted as the biggest in FA Cup history. - The team paid tribute to 21-year-old Ethan McLeod during the match; a picture and a banner were displayed and his parents attended. - The victory made Macclesfield the first non-league side to eliminate the holders since 1908-09, and the first non-league team to score twice against a Premier League side in the FA Cup since 2009 (and the first to score twice against the holders since 1939). - Macclesfield was reformed after Macclesfield Town ceased trading in 2020; local businessman Robert Smethurst bought the club's assets and the phoenix club has risen through several promotions to the sixth tier under manager John Rooney. Summary: The result is described as one of the FA Cup's most notable shocks and carried particular emotional significance for the club and its supporters following recent hardship. Undetermined at this time.