Richards Returned

Defender Logged 90 Minutes in Palace's Historic Cup Humiliation

Chris Richards made his comeback from injury in the worst possible circumstances on Saturday, playing the full 90 minutes as Crystal Palace suffered one of the most shocking defeats in FA Cup history, falling 2-1 to sixth-tier Macclesfield Town.

The 25-year-old American center-back, sidelined since sustaining a foot injury on December 23, returned to action after being named to the bench for Palace's January 7 match against Aston Villa. His first appearance in over two weeks came in what became a nightmare afternoon for the defending champions, who were eliminated by opponents sitting 117 places below them in the English football pyramid—statistically the competition's greatest-ever upset.

Richards put in a solid defensive shift despite the humiliating result, completing 74-of-85 passes for an 87% accuracy rate and winning all defensive duels he contested. He made 14 clearances, including nine headers, and added two tackles while never being dribbled past. His aerial dominance was evident as he won six of nine challenges in the air, though Palace's collective defensive struggles proved too much to overcome.

The Eagles' dismal performance saw them fail to register a single shot on target in the first half before Paul Dawson headed Macclesfield into the lead just before halftime. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts doubled the advantage in the 60th minute following a goalmouth scramble that exposed Palace's vulnerability.

Richards' afternoon ended on an embarrassing note when he committed a foul throw in stoppage time, perfectly encapsulating Palace's disastrous outing. Despite Yeremy Pino's late free-kick providing brief hope, even the second-half introductions of Brennan Johnson, Tyrick Mitchell and Will Hughes couldn't prevent the historic upset.

The defeat extended Palace's winless streak to nine matches across all competitions, heaping further pressure on manager Oliver Glasner, who admitted he had no words for the performance. For Richards, while his individual statistics suggested defensive competence with 17 defensive contributions, the loss marked a forgettable return as Palace became the first holders since 1908-09 to lose to non-league opposition.