It’s official: the magic of the FA Cup is alive and kicking! The third round of football’s oldest cup competition took place from 9th to 12th January. It had everything fans would want: goals, grit, and giant-killings galore. More than half of the 32 third-round matches produced four or more goals, with one seeing an astonishing 10-1 scoreline. Meanwhile, several former FA Cup winners fell at the first hurdle. As always in the third round, there were several “David vs Goliath” encounters. One stood out above all others as National League North side Macclesfield FC hosted the FA Cup holders, Crystal Palace. That’s where we’ll begin our round-up of the highlights of the 2025/26 FA Cup third round.
Minnows Macclesfield Stun Cup Holders Crystal Palace
Macclesfield FC are a phoenix club created only five years ago from the remnants of the bankrupt Macclesfield Town FC. They ply their trade in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football. That means Macclesfield would have to gain two more promotions even to make it into the Football League. But that didn’t stop the mighty minnows from taking the game to the cup holders. The 5,300-capacity Moss Rose stadium was buzzing even before kick-off. The Silkmen were eager to test themselves against Palace’s Premier League stars. But could they compete?
Managed by Wayne Rooney’s younger brother John, the home side showed few nerves. They held their own in the first half despite the top-flight side enjoying most of the ball. Macclesfield then sent the crowd into raptures in the 43rd minute. Captain Paul Dawson headed in from a well-delivered free kick for the opening goal. After the break, Palace tried to raise their game and applied some pressure, but the home side held firm.
Eagles Fail to Soar in the Cup
Then the Silkmen doubled their lead with a delicate finish from Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, and the dream looked very much alive. The Eagles wasted plenty of chances, as boss Oliver Glasner got ever more frustrated in the dugout. They got one back in the 90th minute, a fine curling free kick from Yeremy Pino. But it was too little, too late. Macclesfield held on for the famous 2-1 triumph, and at the final whistle, the ecstatic crowd invaded the pitch and held their heroes aloft in celebration.
Based on the 117 places between the sides in terms of league positions, it was the greatest shock in the FA Cup’s long history. And Macclesfield fully deserved the victory. They host another Premier League side, Brentford, in the fourth round… can the giant-killing magic continue in the next round?
Wrexham Enjoy Hollywood Ending Against Flailing Forest
Welsh side Wrexham welcomed two-time FA Cup winners Nottingham Forest to the Racecourse Ground on Friday night with high hopes of pulling off a shock result. Owned by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham’s rise in recent years has been impressive, with three consecutive promotions. But could they go toe-to-toe with an established Premier League side and give a good account of themselves? They certainly could.
In what could be described as a “proper cup tie”, it was Wrexham who grabbed the initiative and held a two-goal lead at the break. Liberato Cacace and Ollie Rathbone got the first-half goals for the Red Dragons, and Sean Dyche’s men looked shell-shocked. The visitors got one back in the 64th minute through Igor Jesus, but Wrexham made it 3-1 in the 74th minute with a Dom Hyam header.
Forest Didn’t Go Down Without a Fight
The Premier League side still had some fight left, however, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who had only joined the action from the substitutes’ bench in the 69th minute, scored a brace to make it 3-3 at the final whistle. With replays now sadly a thing of the past in the FA Cup, the match went to extra time. Neither side could find the breakthrough, however, and the excitement levels were turned up to 11 with the lottery of a penalty shootout. Wrexham’s keeper Arthur Okonkwo proved the hero of the moment as he saved two Forest spot-kicks to give the home side victory.
Although the gap between Championship side Wrexham and top-flight Nottingham Forest is not as dramatic as the aforementioned match, this will still go down as a giant-killing. And if Wrexham go all the way to Wembley, it really could provide a story worthy of Hollywood.
Former Cup Winners Drop Like Flies
Including the two mentioned above, a total of 14 former winners of the FA Cup were knocked out in the third round this time around. The most successful team to face the indignity of an exit from the competition at this stage was Manchester United. Only Arsenal have won the cup more than United (14 to the Red Devils’ 13). United didn’t face a lower league side, but they were still expected to win at Old Trafford against Brighton. The Seagulls didn’t read that script, however, and won the match 2-1, with former Man United man Danny Welbeck scoring the winner.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have won the cup eight times, but not since 1991. Their wait for cup number nine must continue, after Aston Villa, who have been brilliant this term, won 2-1 in north London. Other multiple cup winners to fall at the third-round stage include: Everton (who lost on penalties to Sunderland); Sheffield United (who lost 4-3 at home to League One side Mansfield Town); and Blackburn Rovers (who lost on penalties to Hull City).
Former FA Cup Winners Knocked Out in Third Round 2025/26
- Manchester United – won 13 times between 1909 and 2024
- Tottenham Hotspur – won eight times between 1901 and 1991
- Blackburn Rovers – won six times between 1884 and 1928
- Everton – won five times between 1906 and 1995
- Sheffield United – won four times between 1899 and 1925
- Sheffield Wednesday – won three times between 1896 and 1935
- Nottingham Forest – won in 1898 and 1959
- Portsmouth – won in 1939 and 2008
- Preston North End – won in 1889 and 1925
- Derby County – won in 1946
- Blackpool – won in 1953
- Crystal Palace – won in 2025
- Coventry City – won in 1987
- Barnsley – won in 1912
Goals Galore: Most in Third Round for Almost 100 Years
Of the 31 cup ties played from Friday to Monday, a whopping total of 129 goals were scored, at an average of almost 4.2 goals per game. Excluding the 1945/46 season when two-legged ties were played, that’s the most goals in the third round since the 1926/27 season. That campaign saw an astounding 138 goals scored!
The game with the most goals in this round was Manchester City’s resounding 10-1 hammering of League One side Exeter City. Among the nine scorers for City was new signing Antoine Semenyo, who also got an assist in his memorable debut. Other high-scoring games included:
- Liverpool 4-1 Barnsley
- Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal
- Norwich City 5-1 Walsall
- Sheffield United 3-4 Mansfield Town
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-1 Shrewsbury Town
- Boreham Wood 0-5 Burton Albion
- Burnley 5-1 Millwall
- Doncaster Rovers 2-3 Southampton
- Newcastle United 3-3 Bournemouth (Newcastle won on penalties)
- Charlton Athletic 1-5 Chelsea.
All in all, it’s fair to suggest the eradication of replays hasn’t dampened the spirit of the FA Cup, and any top-flight side that doesn’t take it seriously is likely to face a similar fate to the current cup holders!
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