Emotions run high with the Rooneys after Macclesfield’s stunning FA Cup upset

Wayne Rooney fought back the tears after watching younger brother John Rooney guide Macclesfield to arguably the biggest shock in FA Cup history.

National League North side Macclesfield became the first side from the sixth tier to knock out a Premier League team when beating holders Crystal Palace 2-1 at Moss Rose.

Macclesfield deservedly led 2-0 through captain Paul Dawson’s first-half header and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts before Yeremy Pino pulled one back for Palace in the 90th minute.

Wayne Rooney told the BBC: “I’m so proud. He (John) looked so calm towards the end. I know he wanted the referee to blow his whistle but, at the end, he just turned round and did a little fist pump to the bench. He looked calm. I don’t know how.

“But, you know, it’s such an achievement. What he’s achieved today, absolutely superb.”

Macclesfield are 117 places below Palace in the football pyramid and John Rooney admitted he could not quite believe his side were winning in the closing stages of the tie.

He said: “When we got later on in the game, we were thinking about slowing it down. I never thought we’d be in that situation. We still can’t believe it. (I) can’t get my head around it.

“I thought it was incredible from the first minute. The message at half-time was to manage the game. Can we slow the game down? But I didn’t see that coming. But, you know, I thought we were well-deserved winners.

“I think we nullified them to one chance in the first half. I thought we were incredible to a man.”

John Rooney paid an emotional tribute to former Macclesfield forward Ethan McLeod, who died in a car accident last month, aged 21, when driving back from the club’s game at Bedford.

“I haven’t really mentioned it much in January, I didn’t want to put that extra pressure on the lads,” John Rooney added.

“I had a nice message off his dad last night, and I was to send it to the lads or to tell them before the game, but I didn’t really want to put that little extra bit of pressure on them with everything we’ve been through.

“So I thought I’d leave that until after the game. So it was tough. We need to go and see them (his parents) as well. It’s been a really tough time.

“We’ve all stuck together through it. It’s never, ever going to get easier. We’ve still got pictures up in the changing rooms that never go. It’s been really tough.”