Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who went into the Macclesfield dressing room after the game to congratulate their players, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "That was always going to be a real test. They have a great spirit in the way they play. It was never going to be easy. I don't think we did the basics well enough in the first half and then in the second half we did it very well.
"We controlled it a bit better, got into better positions and eventually wore them down. I have a lot of respect for them and how they play. It is a tough place to come.
"I am a big fan of the football pyramid and these are always going to be difficult places to come. Tough test to navigate, but we came through it."
Brentford captain Nathan Collins, speaking to TNT Sports: "It doesn't matter who you are playing against, you need to get the job done. Macclesfield could beat anyone on any day.
"If we can top it off with a cup run, then that would be great. Our fans deserve it.
"Credit to Macclesfield. They made it extremely hard for us. They put up a great fight and they deserve credit for that."
Did you know?
- Brentford are in the fifth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in the past 20 seasons, also doing so in 2018-19.
- Brentford have won six of their past seven away matches - since the start of this run on 20 December, no Premier League side has more victories on the road.