Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi was involved in a heated exchange with furious travelling supporters after his side were sensationally knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Macclesfield on Saturday. The defeat at Moss Rose stands as one of the greatest upsets in the competition's long history.
A Historic Giant-Killing at Moss Rose
The FA Cup holders, who famously beat Manchester City 1-0 in last season's final, were dumped out in the third round in astonishing circumstances. National League North side Macclesfield, who are 14th in their division, secured a historic 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts.
Despite fielding a team featuring England internationals Marc Guehi and Adam Wharton, and introducing club-record £35million signing Brennan Johnson at half-time, Oliver Glasner's Premier League outfit were humbled. A late 90th-minute goal from Yeremy Pino offered a glimmer of hope, but the non-league side held firm to spark jubilant pitch invasions from their fans.
Guehi's Tense Full-Time Confrontation
At the final whistle, an attempt by Eagles skipper Guehi to calm the situation backfired. The 25-year-old defender headed over to the away end, where he was given an earful by several disgruntled Palace supporters, with footage of the intense discussions quickly spreading on social media.
The incident adds another layer of intrigue to Guehi's situation at Selhurst Park. The centre-back is in the final six months of his contract and is widely expected to leave the club for free in the summer. He is currently being heavily pursued by top-flight rivals including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City during the January transfer window.
Rooney Family Emotion After Fairytale Victory
The victory was masterminded by Macclesfield manager John Rooney, whose brother Wayne was working as a BBC pundit for the match. An emotional Wayne Rooney, who won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2016, was left on the verge of tears speaking about his younger brother's achievement.
"It's incredible, I am getting emotional to see my younger brother achieve this," Wayne said. "He's not been long in management and to get through to the fourth round of the FA Cup and beat Crystal Palace, I am so proud of him."
A jubilant John Rooney added: "I can't believe it, we never thought we would be in this position. We were incredible from the first minute. I thought we were deserved winners."
In a damning assessment of his own team's performance, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner offered no excuses. "We had no kind of quality today and I saw no one who could win a dribble," he stated. "If you can't create clear chances, it is a lack of quality that we have shown today. We deserved to lose."
The result sends shockwaves through English football and marks a new low in a difficult season for Crystal Palace, while writing Macclesfield's name into FA Cup folklore.
