With thunder and rain pattering on the terraces, the sites of Arsenal's past title glory – Anfield, White Hart Lane, Stamford Bridge and, yes, Old Trafford – echoed.
“Nobody else can say that,” a sea of photographs proclaimed in one corner of Manchester United's home ground.
If there's a little more pressure on the high notes this time, then the chances of the Emirates being added to that list next Sunday have finally dawned on them.
Historically, Arsenal's wins at Old Trafford are usually momentous, with three points at this stadium being a harbinger of spring-time glory.
Arsenal carefully explored that legacy on Sunday, taking advantage of Casemiro's laziness to score a goal, meaning their last seven league wins at this ground in 39 years have been 1-0.

(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The win in November 2020 was vital to the sense of pride and progress in Arteta's first year in charge, ending a long winless run since Emmanuel Adebayor's winner in 2006. However, in previous eras, consistency has been important in reducing the pace of title races towards North London.
2002 was when Sylvain Wiltord's rebound won the title over Sir Alex Ferguson's team in the final game of the season; 1998 They were playing catch-up on United, but Marc Overmars' late strike lifted their morale and won their first title in seven years by a point; 1990 when Anders Limper gave Les Seely the lead from a short corner in a notoriously poor game and set Arsenal on their way.

Wiltorf won the Premiership title in 2002 (Mark Leach/Offside via Getty Images)
In 2024, Leandro Trossard's goal while chasing Pep Guardiola's football conveyor belt holds an elusive place on the emotional spectrum.
Huge but measured, Martin Odegaard sent his team roaring throughout, a more formal clash than the wild bounding surge we have become accustomed to after big away wins.
As Kai Havertz folded himself in half at the final whistle, there was neither the reserve energy, nor the emotional capacity for such enthusiasm.
The job was done, but, although the feeling of simply protesting the futility of the final week was rife, Arsenal fans decided to live the moment and celebrate “Trossard again, ole ole”.
On top of his man-of-the-match performances at Anfield and the Etihad, another William Saliba masterclass, his gladiatorial piece of defending against Ajelandro Garnacho helped Arenal to an 11th league clean sheet – only one behind in the 2008–09 season. Premier League record set by Chelsea in .
“This is not progress, this is history,” Mikel Arteta said after the game, deflecting a question about the psychological drain of Manchester City's flawlessness following his Arsenal's club-record 27th Premier League victory this season. His powerfully clinical way of changing into.
This was not a closing speech to soothe the pain of losing another title.
Arsenal's hopes are still very much alive, but it was Arteta who reignited the conversation, pulling his Arsenal side out of the shadow of Manchester City and, for once, free from the excessive weight of comparison, in isolation from his Achievements displayed.
By beating Manchester United for the third consecutive game – the first since 1998 – they matched last season's 84 points, returning to the summit and ensuring they go into next Sunday's final against Everton with a chance of a first league title in 20 Enter. The years are still alive.
“We opened the box of dreams to live the last day of the season in front of our people with the opportunity to win the Premier League,” Arteta said.
“This is something we're going to stick with together and I'm so glad we're going to do it with these players and staff.”
Arsenal will have the D-day they have chased for two decades since the 'Invincibles' triumph in 2004, and it will be their first final-day title shootout since 1999 when Manchester United took on Tottenham Hotspur. Had achieved 2 victories by coming from behind. -1 and lead them to the trophy.
It could still end in heartache for Arteta's team, but by getting a result at Old Trafford, they have kept the dream alive and eliminated the feeling that they could have done more.

(David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
If last season was one that was missed, this is one that they have refused to trust. Arsenal have bounced back from consecutive defeats over the festive period to win 15 of their last 17 matches, taking 46 points from 51, and 22 from a possible 30 against the so-called 'Big Six'.
Victory over Everton would take them to 89 points – their second-best total – better than the 14 points that were enough to win the Premier League and equal to the other four since the league changed to a 38-game format in 1995–96.
It is testament to the culture that Arteta has created that his players have managed to keep winning months when many other teams would have taken confidence from them.
Consecutive games against Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United seemed like a graveyard, but Arsenal won all of them, apart from a 0–0 draw against their title rivals.
If you had suggested two months ago that the points go up, Arteta would probably have signed the papers, as he admitted he would have done if given the chance to win it on the final day.
It's out of Arsenal's hands, but they have proven they can now stay in the heat and create the kind of scenes that City have made a habit of at this time of year.
They still need City to draw at least one of their final two games, but Arsenal's consistency in recent weeks has added intrigue to even an already favorable scenario.
City are unbeaten in their last 21 Premier League games and since the 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad in March, they have added 23 in the goal-difference column, reducing the difference from eight goals to just three.
Blind belief suggests that intervention will occur, but logic tells us that it is becoming less likely. When a group of Arsenal fans chanted “Come on you Spurs” as they left Old Trafford, it was a reminder that hope was still alive and Arsenal had the last day they wished for.
Whether it's the weight of the narrative surrounding the 20th anniversary, David Moyes, Everton, or Arteta's last-day heroics at Rangers proving irresistible, or City winning once again, Arteta made a relevant point that this is Arsenal, his Arsenal should be able to stand strong regardless of whether they are top or second.

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(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)