FA Cup: Macclesfield shock holders Crystal Palace, more shocks on Sunday?

FA Cup round 3 shocks: Macclesfield stun holders Crystal Palace 2-1, Wrexham beat Forest on pens, Wolves thrash Shrewsbury 6-1, Man City 10-1 Exeter.

Shocker! Macclesfield players celebrate after the 6th-tier club beat FA Cup holders Crystal Palace 2-1 to advance to the 4th round. (Photo credit: ESPN)

The English FA Cup remains a notorious competition that has no respect for names; you must earn the right to play and the right to win.

6th-tier club Macclesfield dumped out holders Crystal Palace at the first hurdle for the Eagles on Saturday in a game that will go down as one of the biggest upsets of the competition. The non-league side beat Premier League side and cup holders Crystal Palace 2-1, and we wonder who comes next on the chopping board.

Wrexham started the upset story on Friday. Maybe not as big as that of Macclesfield, but the rise of Wrexham from lower tiers into the Championship is one to admire, and watching them dump out Nottingham Forest on penalties adds credence to the great job they’re up to.

Everton lost out to Sunderland on penalties, but Wolves won for the first time this season, and boy, how emphatic was that? Wolves destroyed Shrewsbury 6-1, and you wonder if this will galvanise them in any way in the Premier League as they race against the drop.

Manchester City pummelled Exeter Town 10-1; nothing new and nothing for the lower-tier club to be ashamed of, but it’s worthy to note that Antoine Semenyo found the back of the net on his debut, just the next day after signing for the Cityzens.

Chelsea began life under Liam Rosenior with an emphatic 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic. The Blues rained goals on the less popular opponents, with Enzo Fernandez rounding off the scoring from the spot late in the game after Jorrel Hato opened scoring for the Blues.

Newcastle and Bournemouth served us the entertainment of the Cup with a 3-3 affair after extra time. Newcastle went on to win on penalties, but the two sides serving us drama in extra time remains one of the highlights of round 3.

On Sunday, it will be the turn of the record holders, Arsenal, as they travel to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth. Kai Havertz is believed to be in contention to feature in this one as Arsenal continues to welcome injured players back to the fold for a crucial second half of the season.

Darren Fletcher will lead the Red Devils out at Old Trafford as they take on Brighton. Manchester United need that feel-good result, and one in the FA Cup could also position Fletcher for the caretaker role as the club continues to shop for Ruben Amorim’s replacement.