Stockport booked their place at Wembley for the Sky Bet League Two play-off final after a dramatic 3-1 penalty shootout win against local rivals Salford.
County triumphed on spot-kicks at Edgeley Park after the semi-final tie ended 2-2 on aggregate after extra time.
Stockport goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe was the late hero as he saved penalties from Adrian Mariappa and Stevie Mallan to send the home fans wild.
The hosts remain on track for back-to-back promotions, while Salford’s bid to seal a fifth promotion in nine seasons is over.
Under summery sunshine at a packed-out stadium, it was unchanged Salford who threatened first.
Captain Ibou Touray flung over a rather hopeful cross for Matt Smith, but the first leg’s match-winner’s header was comfortably saved by Hinchliffe.
Stockport, whose boss Dave Challinor had made four changes, looked a little nervy in the opening stages and Conor McAleny was soon again testing Hinchliffe, this time with a crisp 20-yard drive.
With the Ammies’ Class of ’92 co-owners Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt watching on from the stands, veteran Smith was proving a real handful for the Stockport backline.
He wriggled into space before forcing Hinchliffe into another decent stop from close range.
Finally Stockport began to settle, and they went close on the half-hour mark when skipper Paddy Madden flicked a header narrowly wide from Ryan Rydel’s cross.
The hosts were right back in contention as the half-time interval approached, though Callum Camps ought to have done much better when he blazed wildly over the top from 18 yards out.
There was a dramatic end to the first period when Madden thumped a header against the crossbar as he met Chris Hussey’s corner-kick.
The Ammies should have struck 30 seconds after the restart.
Luke Bolton latched on to McAleny’s throughball and charged through on goal, only to see his low shot diverted away by the outstretched leg of Hinchliffe.
As the tension began to increase a notch once more, Madden volleyed over the top from 25 yards out as Stockport desperately sought a leveller.
Stockport made a triple substitution on the hour mark and they went close again soon after when Isaac Olaofe headed Kyle Knoyle’s cross straight at a grateful Alex Cairns.
Olaofe made no mistake in the 68th minute, however.
His precise header from Rydel’s inch-perfect cross broke the deadlock and evened up this enthralling tie as the majority in attendance went wild.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric as Stockport now looked the more likelier side to go on and book their final spot, and they almost grabbed a second in the 88th minute when Madden clipped a cheeky close-range flick inches over the top.
Into extra time then, and Ammies substitute Louie Barry was denied by Hussey’s goalline clearance before Stevie Mallan’s deflected 25-yard strike looked to have won the tie for Salford with just eight minutes left.
However, three minutes later it was level again when sub Jack Stretton nodded home from close range to again send the home fans into a frenzy, and the tie to penalties.
Maresca: Chelsea 'deserved something more' from Liverpool loss
Enzo Maresca felt Chelsea "deserved something more" from their 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.
The Blues suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season, as Curtis Jones' strike settled the contest at Anfield.
Nicolas Jackson had struck within minutes of the restart to cancel out Mohamed Salah's first-half penalty, but Chelsea missed the opportunity to climb to third place in the table.
Nevertheless, Maresca believes his players can leave Anfield with their heads held high.
"We don't like to lose or drop points, but I really liked the performance," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved something more, but the performance was good.
"We controlled most of the game. We had chances, we had possession. We don't like to lose, but if we have to choose, this is the way. The team was brave on and off the ball.
"I don't think this game defines where we are. We prepared in the best way, it worked quite well. You have to take chances, but overall I am very happy with the players."
Meanwhile, Reece James felt Chelsea's performance epitomised the impressive strides they have made in a short space of time.
The right-back made his first Premier League start for the club since December 2023, managing 53 minutes on his return to action.
"Coming here is always tough," the Blues skipper said. "I think we controlled most of the game. They had chances; we had a few chances as well but didn't take them.
"We are definitely moving in the right direction. The scoreline doesn't reflect the game.
"If we step back and look at performances and what we are trying to do, we have come a long way. It is still early days, we haven't been with the manager long."
Cabal pleased to repay Motta's faith after victorious Juventus return
Juventus left-back Juan Cabal was pleased to repay the faith of coach Thiago Motta after returning from injury to star in their 1-0 win over Lazio.
Cabal joined from Verona in July for €11million but has battled a niggling hamstring issue at the start of his Bianconeri career, missing the last six weeks.
He returned to face Lazio on Saturday, with his cross forcing an own goal from Mario Gila as Juventus avoided a fifth draw in the space of six games.
After the match, the Colombia international revealed Lazio had shown an interest in him previously, but said he only ever had eyes for Juve.
"Lazio looked for me before, but I was only thinking about Juve. I wanted to play for Juve since I was a kid and now I am here," Cabal told reporters.
"We all know Juve's history. We have to give our lives for Juve.
"The coach saw something different and put me out, but he has faith in me. He put me on the pitch at the right time.
"It is difficult not to play for so long. But we must always be ready. I work all week to play even one minute,"
Saturday's win took unbeaten Juventus to 16 points from eight matches, level on points with leaders Napoli, who possess a game in hand.
"The important thing is to try to win every game. We want to be champions, but I can't tell you now that we will win the championship," Cabal said.
Al-Ittihad 3-1 Al-Qadsiah: Diaby and Benzema inspire hosts
Al-Ittihad cut the gap on Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal back to three points after Saturday's 3-1 victory over Al-Qadsiah.
Karim Benzema needed just seven minutes to open the scoring, though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang soon restored parity with a 20th-minute finish of his own.
Moussa Diaby created Benzema's opener and found the net himself just past the hour, edging the hosts back into the lead after linking up with Houssem Aouar.
Substitute Mario Mitaj made sure of the victory nine minutes from time, helping Al-Ittihad to their sixth win in seven league games to start their campaign.
Data Debrief: Dazzling Diaby
Diaby has provided assists in his last five league matches (eight in total), matching the competition-leading streaks by Mishari Al-Thamali, with Al-Faisaly in 2014, and Carlos Villanueva for Al-Ittihad in 2017.
The former Aston Villa winger's eight assists are also the most in the first seven rounds of a season in Saudi Arabia's top-flight, marking history for Diaby.
His efforts helped Al-Ittihad to their fourth home win in seven league games to start a season, only managing to achieve this feat in the 2014-15 campaign, when they ended the term second.
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