“We want to do something special,” said Mikel Arteta in the buildup to Arsenal’s Bigger Cup semi-final first leg against PSG, urging fans heading to the Emirates to bring their boots, their shorts, their T-shirts and everything but their dinner. “That place has to be something special, something that we haven’t seen.” While it is not known how many spectators heeded the call to go the full John Terry, they were certainly treated to the unprecedented sight of the world’s most underwhelming tifo hanging apologetically from the roof of the North Stand like a club-branded beach towel pegged to a back yard clothesline. Before one of the biggest home games in their team’s history, this quite dismal effort by the Arsenal hierarchy to generate some in-stadium vibes has been widely ridiculed and may have contributed to a curiously quiet atmosphere that was only exacerbated by Ousmane Dembélé’s early gut punch.

Poor for the first 35 minutes and not much better in the final 20, Arsenal played reasonably well in between without ever scaling the heights they can, their players and fans often railing against perceived injustices visited upon them by a referee whose most controversial decision actually went in the home side’s favour and helped keep them in the tie. While it has been argued there was perhaps not enough of a foul in that Jurriën Timber stiff-arm block on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to award a spot-kick to PSG, we’d almost certainly have heard no end of post-match bleating if the roles had been reversed and Arsenal had been denied what they felt to be their dues from 12 yards.

The PSG head coach Luis Enrique’s post-match assessment that “it could have been worse, it could have been better” spoke for the performances of both teams and as things stand, Arsenal remain very much alive before next week’s return leg. “We are at half-time,” parped Mikel Arteta afterwards. “We have a lot of chances to be in that final. As I repeat myself, you have to do something special in the competition to have the right to be in the final. And the time to do it is going to be in Paris.” Arsenal’s players and travelling fans can almost expect a far more hostile reception in the bubbling cauldron that is Parc des Princes than was afforded to their visitors in north London and, even if they don’t get a similar lesson in football dished out to several other Premier League teams in Paris this season, they will almost certainly pick up some tips on how best to design a rabble-rousing pre-match tifo.

Join Scott Murray at 8pm (BST) for updates on Barcelona 2-1 Inter in Bigger Cup, while Simon Burnton will be on hand at 8.15pm, when the WSL title could be sealed by Chelsea in their 2-0 defeat of Manchester United if earlier results go their way.

26 April: “I said before that as long as I’m wanted, I’m very happy. The way the fans have been supporting me, it makes me feel that I want to give them something back even more than the last two seasons. In any case, I am very calm about the job I have done and the fact that we have achieved what were difficult targets. I’m an ambitious person in the sense that I always push myself. I always want to improve. I have a contract and I want to keep improving. I enjoy my job here, enjoy English football, and am ready for more” – QPR boss Martí Cifuentes talks about the future after their penultimate game of the season, a 5-0 shoeing at home by Burnley.

29 April: “This is naturally a disappointing situation for everyone concerned. I fully understand and appreciate supporters’ frustrations at this time. As a club, we are working to ensure this matter is resolved as swiftly as possible so we can start preparations in earnest for the future” – QPR chief suit Christian Nourry hands Cifuentes some secateurs while placing the Spaniard on gardening leave, amid links with the vacant West Brom gig.

Can I be the first of 1,057 readers to point out that, despite the subject line of yesterday’s Football Daily talking about a ‘royal rumble’, you’ve instead used an image from last Friday’s very good Tables, Ladders and Chairs (or TLC for short) match” – Ben Johnson (and no other wrestling aficionados).

A lot of things have to go wrong for Stoke City if they’re to get relegated this weekend (yesterday’s Football Daily). On the other hand, there’s the incentive of El Ceramico against newly promoted Port Vale if the worst happens” – Derrick Cameron.

Re: Jon Millard (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), Everton have the perfect opportunity for a dig at their local rivals when they officially open their new stadium. If they don’t incorporate the phrase ‘This Means (Bramley-)Moore’, then the whole thing will have been a complete waste of time and money” – Ed Taylor.

May I add to Dave Step’s congratulations for Truro City’s achievements in a season where little was expected, having just returned to actually playing home games in their own city (yesterday’s letters). Having recently formally adopted a ‘favourite Italian team’ in the form of Bologna, could Football Daily go one better and actually sponsor Truro? If not for outdoing Italy’s finest on the pitch, but for the fact that Truro regale under the nickname ‘The Tinners’” – Michael Lloyd.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Ed Taylor. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.

Here at Football Daily Towers we assumed the National League South had given all that it could in terms of drama by providing us with a six-way final-day title battle. But, nope, it just keeps on giving. In the playoff eliminator (even that sounds exciting!) last night, Dorking Wanderers were 3-1 up after 81 minutes after what officially went down as a second own goal of the night (we’ll come back to this) by Boreham Wood’s Femi Ilesanmi. He’d want to forget this night wouldn’t he? Wait for it …

Up stepped Boreham Wood’s Abdulsabur Oluwatosin Olubukola Alao Oladipupo Abdulmalik with a goal in the 83rd minute to give his team hope. On 89 minutes Cameron Coxe added another. We’re going to extra time then? Nope. Because here comes headline-grabbing centre-back Ilesanmi, swivelling and hammering home a 96th-minute winner to send Meadow Park into raptures. Many places are crediting Ilesanmi with both own goals but we’ve since watched the highlights and it looks to us like they were scored by his teammates. Still a cracking story, though.

The co-owner of Hull City Ladies has been accused of multiple instances ofaggressive behaviour that left players scared of him, and of making inappropriate comments about sex, according to written testimony seen by the Guardian.

The Scottish FA is to ban transgender women from participating in women’s football after updating its guidelines while the English FA says it is “carefully reviewing” its inclusion policy.

Evanilson is available for Bournemouth’s game at Arsenal on Saturday after having a three-match ban overturned for a red card against Manchester United in which he appeared to slip when making a challenge.

It’s been a good day for overturning red cards; Luton’s Liam Walsh has escaped a five-game ban after the club successfully appealed against his third sending-off of the season.

Evangelos Marinakis will not have a controlling interest in Nottingham Forest next season before the club’s probable return to Europe. Marinakis, who also owns Olympiakos, has placed his shares in a blind trust in order to comply with Uefa regulations on multi-club ownership, which state no individual is allowed to control two clubs that are competing in the same competition. So there.

Brentford midfield schemer Vitaly Janelt will miss the rest of the season, and the beginning of the next one, after undergoing surgery to repair a knacked heel.

Swansea have appointed Alan Sheehan as permanent head coach on a three-year contract after a successful spell as caretaker.

And we’ll have to wave goodbye to images of fans walking above the back yards of terraced houses in Luton, after the club confirmed construction on a new 25,000-capacity stadium at Power Court will begin this summer.

Barney Ronay was at the Emirates Stadium to witness first-hand how PSG’s Big Energy intensity overpowered a depleted Arsenal.

Meanwhile David Hytner ponders whether the north London side can back their talk of a comeback in Paris with Mikel Merino saying his team have the quality to turn the semi-final on its head.

Jonathan Liew, on the other hand, enjoyed the revival of Ousmane Dembélé, the last matinee idol in Paris while also analysing Raphinha’s rise from missing man to Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or gong contender.

John Duerden writes on the billions behind Neom’s badge, Saudi Arabia’s latest project in a futuristic city that is yet to exist.

Tom Brady, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s celebrity status is not the only thing that led Wrexham and Birmingham to the Championship. Graham Ruthven has more on how the US owners have put the Premier League in their sights.

And what is the closest to the end of a season a manager has been sacked? The Knowledge knows.

Members of England’s 1982 World Cup squad, along with assorted models and dancers, gather at the BBC’s Top of the Pops studios to flaunt their stylish attire after performing their single, This Time (We’ll Get it Right). With apologies for the spoiler, they did not – then, or subsequently. The players pictured from left to right are: Kevin Keegan, Steve Foster (What a difference you have made), Dave Watson (apparently not in lifesize cardboard cut-out form), Glenn Hoddle, Trevor Francis, Joe “Jaw” Corrigan, Ray Clemence, Gary Bailey, Mick Mills and Kenny Sansom.