Imagine the disbelief rippling through the football community as Crystal Palace, last year's FA Cup champions, suffered a staggering defeat, losing 2-1 to sixth-tier Macclesfield—this marks what many are calling the most shocking upset in FA Cup history. Adding to the drama, Antoine Semenyo made his debut for Manchester City in spectacular fashion, contributing to a remarkable 10-1 victory against Exeter City.
In a parallel storyline, the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank hangs precariously after his team endured a disappointing 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Newcastle United displayed resilience by overcoming Bournemouth in a nail-biting penalty shootout following an exhilarating 3-3 draw.
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Reflecting back on their last FA Cup match at Wembley last May, Crystal Palace made waves by defeating Manchester City to secure their very first major trophy. However, they found themselves on the wrong side of history this time around at Moss Rose. Goals from captain Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts either side of halftime sealed the triumph for Macclesfield, who are expertly managed by John Rooney, the younger sibling of renowned former England captain Wayne Rooney. The 117-place gap between the Premier League's Palace and Macclesfield in the English football hierarchy stands as the largest disparity ever overcome by an underdog in the storied history of the FA Cup.
"I can hardly believe it; we never imagined we would find ourselves in this situation," exclaimed Rooney. "I doubted it was achievable, but there’s always that glimmer of hope that anything is possible on match day."
On the flip side, Palace's manager, Oliver Glasner, expressed his frustration over what he termed a lack of "pride" and described his team's defensive efforts as "slapstick." The Eagles’ performance in recent matches has been disheartening, with no wins in their last nine outings.
"I am at a loss to explain what I witnessed today," declared the Austrian coach, who has been speculated to be a candidate for the vacant managerial position at Manchester United.
Tottenham's struggles continue, having claimed victory in only three of their last fourteen matches, which prolongs their quest for FA Cup glory since their last win in 1991. In their match against Villa, the visitors were dominant, scoring twice in the first half via Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers. Although Wilson Odobert scored early in the second half to narrow the gap, Spurs failed to equalize, resulting in Frank being met with boos from the crowd as the final whistle blew.
Just a day after making headlines with a £65 million ($87 million) transfer from Bournemouth, Semenyo was among the scorers for City as they overwhelmed League One Exeter at the Etihad Stadium. Surprisingly, Erling Haaland started the match but did not score and was substituted at halftime. Rico Lewis had an outstanding game, netting two goals himself, while teammates Max Alleyne, Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico O’Riley, and Ryan McAidoo also contributed to the scoreline—Exeter even scored two own goals during the debacle!
In another thrilling encounter, Newcastle secured a dramatic equalizer thanks to Anthony Gordon's penalty in the 95th minute, leveling the score to 2-2 at St. James Park after 90 minutes of intense play. Both teams exchanged goals during extra-time, but Bournemouth managed to push the match into penalties after Marcus Tavernier's stoppage-time goal. Ultimately, Aaron Ramsdale emerged as the hero, saving three penalty kicks to help Newcastle triumph 7-6 in an exhausting shootout.
Sunderland also required penalties to advance past Everton after a 1-1 draw, with Robin Roefs remarkably saving all three spot-kicks taken by the Toffees, propelling the Black Cats into the next round.
In the Premier League, Wolves are enjoying a resurgence, remaining unbeaten in four matches after demolishing Shrewsbury with a commanding 6-1 win, featuring a hat-trick from Jorgen Strand Larsen. Fulham staged a comeback, scoring three goals in the final thirty minutes to defeat Middlesbrough 3-1 at Craven Cottage. Burnley, on the other hand, faced Championship competition more comfortably, achieving a resounding 5-1 victory over Millwall. Lastly, Brentford secured a straightforward 2-0 win against the financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday, while Liam Rosenior is set to make his debut as Chelsea's manager in the away match against Charlton at 8 PM GMT.
