Glasner left with ´no explanation´ after holders Palace dumped out of FA Cup by Macclesfield

Oliver Glasner slammed his Crystal Palace side after he was left with “no explanation” for their FA Cup third-round defeat to sixth-tier Macclesfield.

Goals either side of half-time from captain Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts were enough to pull off an upset, despite a nervy finish following Yeremy Pino’s strike in the 90th minute.

Macclesfield are the first non-league team to eliminate the FA Cup holders since Palace knocked out Wolves in the 1908-09 first round.

They also became the first non-league team to score twice in an FA Cup match against a Premier League team since Kettering Town vs Fulham in 2009, and the first against the holders since Runcorn vs Preston in 1939.

Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Pino all started for the Eagles, while Brennan Johnson, Will Hughes and Tyrick Mitchell all made appearances off the bench.

Glasner, whose side are now winless in their last nine games in all competitions, could not find an excuse for his players.

“We give congratulations to Macclesfield for winning,” Glasner told BBC Sport.

1909 – Macclesfield are the first non-league team to eliminate the FA Cup holders since Crystal Palace knocked out Wolves in the 1908-09 first round. Fairytale. pic.twitter.com/0Dyl5aMMaN

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 10, 2026

“We had no kind of quality, and I saw no one who could win a dribble. Then, conceding set goals and timing in the header.

“If you can’t create clear chances, it is a lack of quality that we have shown. We deserved to lose.

“Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen, and we can find excuses, but you don’t need tactics and a manager for these games.

“So I think if you just show what you are capable of and show pride, then you perform in a different way.”