Macclesfield have already beaten Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this season, but can they claim a second Premier League scalp when they host Brentford in the fourth round?
This weekend, National League North side Macclesfield host Premier League club Brentford at Moss Rose in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Of course, they’ve already knocked out one Premier League side from the competition this season, defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 at home in a sensational cupset in the third round.
In the Premier League era, there have been 52 FA Cup ties between top-flight sides and non-league clubs. Amazingly, despite there being at least four tiers between them, non-league teams have emerged victorious on three occasions in that 34-year period.
Eight of those 52 ties have been drawn, earning the non-league club a lucrative replay, but of course, that can’t happen this season with replays now scrapped in an attempt to reduce the number of matches in the footballing calendar.
With John Rooney – yes, brother of Wayne – looking to lead his team to another massive giant-killing on Monday night, we look back at the three non-league sides to defeat Premier League clubs in the FA Cup.
Non-League Clubs to Defeat Premier League Opposition
Norwich City 0-1 Luton TownRound 4 in 2012-13
Luton Town travelled to Norwich City in January 2013 hoping to become the first non-league club to knock out top-flight opposition in the FA Cup since Sutton United eliminated Coventry City in 1989.
The two sides were in the same division just six years earlier, facing each other in the Championship, but three successive relegations and a raft of financial problems led to the Hatters’ rapid fall through the leagues. The 2012-13 season was their fourth successive non-league campaign, while Norwich sat in 13th place in the Premier League coming into this clash in Norfolk.
Luton had already navigated their way through four rounds, defeating Cambridge United in the fourth qualifying round, before knocking out fellow non-league clubs Nuneaton Town and Dorchester Town in the first and second rounds. A cupset win over Championship club Wolves at Kenilworth Road in the third round then earned them this trip to Carrow Road.
Norwich, who had Harry Kane in attack, struggled to break down the stubborn Hatters defence and Luton eventually took advantage. Scott Rendell’s goal in the 80th minute was one of only two shots on target for the non-league side, but it was enough to seal a memorable victory.
With this win, Luton became the first non-league side to beat a top-flight club away from home in a competitive English game since Altrincham defeated Birmingham City 2-1 in the 1985-86 FA Cup third round.
They were drawn at home to Millwall in the fifth round, but eventually lost 3-0 and exited the competition.
The next non-league club to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup had a bit more success…
Burnley 0-1 Lincoln CityRound 5 in 2016-17
Lincoln City became the first non-league side in 103 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to a dramatic last-minute win over Premier League side Burnley at Turf Moor in February 2017.
Danny Cowley’s side had already knocked out Championship opposition in the previous two rounds, beating Ipswich Town after a replay in round three, before a 3-1 home win over Brighton in the fourth round.
Defender Sean Raggett was the hero, scoring an 89th-minute winner to send the non-league side into the last eight.
His header past Tom Heaton was Lincoln’s only shot on target in the entire match. Raggett’s goal was only given thanks to confirmation via goal-line technology, but it was enough to set up a quarter-final tie against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Coincidentally, Andre Gray was in the Burnley side for this game, having also been a member of the Luton team to shock Norwich City in the only previous FA Cup victory by a non-league club over a Premier League team.
Macclesfield 2-1 Crystal PalaceRound 3 in 2025-26
Macclesfield stunned reigning holders Crystal Palace in the third round of the 2025-26 FA Cup, securing one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history.
Goals from Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts put the National League North side into a 2-0 lead, and despite a last-minute strike from Yéremy Pino to halve the deficit, the sixth-tier outfit held on to become the first non-league team to eliminate the FA Cup holders since Palace themselves knocked out Wolves in the 1908-09 first round.
Oliver Glasner named a weakened side on the day, but there were still some established Premier League and international stars in their lineup, with England’s Marc Guéhi and Adam Wharton in the XI.
It is arguably the biggest shock in FA Cup history, given Macclesfield were in the National League North at the time – the sixth tier of the English football pyramid. Crystal Palace became the first top-flight team to be knocked out by sixth-tier opposition in the cup’s 145-season history.
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David vs Goliath: Which Non-League Clubs Have Defeated Premier League Teams in the FA Cup? Opta Analyst.
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