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It was a one-word answer to a question and essentially cut through any variable or unpredictable title the Sunday title deciders might throw up. Mikel Arteta was asked if he believed in miracles: "Yes," was the answer, a smile crept across his face and laughter quickly flowed through the room.
There is little danger of Arsenal leaving anything to chance against Everton, but no amount of rationalization can change the fact that they are banking on an outcome 160 miles north-west that would thoroughly confuse the odds.
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Arsenal should not get themselves into trouble if Manchester City sticks to the well-rehearsed lines. They will finish the season within 90 points and guarantee the club's second-highest total in a Premier League season with a win.
City and Liverpool have raised the bar in recent years for what it takes to finish top of the pile, but it can't be lost on anyone that, against normal rivals, this team would certainly have sealed their place in history.
Yet conversely, the razor-thin margin that likely separates the sides may be more likely to cause regret than a yawning chasm. Had City sailed off into the sunset, it would be harder to get through the 'what ifs'; listing a set of results that, taken together, could have changed the outcome may have damaged credibility. But Arsenal, if logic holds, will leave the serial champions by a small margin and Arteta would not be human if he avoided thinking about the moments that took away the trophy.
Last season, Arsenal finished five points behind City, which is still a possible outcome, and Arteta had to reckon with himself. They had fallen apart in the later stages of an initially exuberant campaign and he admitted he had spent a dark night of the soul on the eve of 2023-24 wondering whether he could take them any further.
There should be no crisis of faith this time, given their transformation into a rock-solid, barely disturbed team of winners; however, an assessment of those fine details will be conducted with a similar intensity.
"It's not about being unkind to yourself," Arteta said when asked if the hair shirt could stay in the wardrobe no matter how the final plays out. "It's being honest with yourself. Ultimately, you know what you did and why you did it.
"Certain decisions are made because you felt them or because you heard them, or because you had enough arguments at the right time to make them. That's the assessment and then just move on. Not everything is perfect and hopefully far from perfect: that means you have a lot of room to improve."
What could have been better? Arsenal took four points from City, who had beaten them twice the previous season, and Liverpool, so no one could say they were just feeding on low-hanging fruit. Perhaps the most obvious disappointment comes from one place lower in the table: the two setbacks inflicted on Aston Villa and Arsenal's former manager Unai Emery now seem particularly significant and they can kick themselves particularly hard for having a missed a series of chances in a traumatic home defeat last year. month.
A less excusable failure occurred in August when Fulham, down to ten men in the Emirates, conceded a soft equalizer from João Palhinha three minutes from time. Jorginho's uncharacteristic mistake that helped Tottenham to a draw four weeks later could also play a big role, as could West Ham's robbery in north London three days after Christmas. In any case, that result gives oxygen to all the optimists who predict a surprise designed by David Moyes in Manchester City on Sunday.
There will also always be those who believe Arteta should have taken a win-or-bust approach instead of settling for a goalless draw on Easter Sunday. The reasoning is questionable: in resisting an eight-match losing streak at the Etihad, Arsenal showed much of the durability and tactical acumen that has taken them at least one level over the past year.
But even a juggernaut hits chunks of black ice. No one is immune to the vicissitudes of a season: not even a City team that took seven points in a six-game spell in November and December. Arteta could perhaps focus more sharply on some of the trickier personnel issues he has faced. Kai Havertz, signed mainly as a midfielder, became an admirable player as a central striker, scoring eight goals since mid-February.
These were partly necessary due to the persistent knee problems of Gabriel Jesus, who simply did not feel comfortable and seems a shadow of the player who boosted his attack when he joined from City.
Would Arteta have expanded his strike force sooner, which is a priority for the upcoming pre-season, if he had been able to replay the last nine months? At least he was able to see Leandro Trossard step up and cover brilliantly for a patchy season from Gabriel Martinelli.
In an ideal world, David Raya, who was well ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order despite Arteta's unlikely claim that he could rotate his goalkeepers, could have been brought into the squad earlier than mid-September. "I had to adapt very quickly," Raya said this week. "I had no preparation at the club. They were new teammates, new standards, new fans.
"The situation with Aaron was big. I knew what was going to happen when I started playing: the sound was just going to happen."
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The Spaniard started shakily, not helped by a crowd still coming to terms with the phasing out of a favourite, and perhaps an earlier immersion could have ironed out kinks such as a nervous performance in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea. However, Arsenal's defense has been virtually flawless all season: that's no mean feat considering the long-term injury to Jurriën Timber, who was earmarked to play at left-back, which left them struggling in that position.
Should Arteta get his miracle, the temptation to inflict such torture on himself will surely float away in the heady air around Holloway Road. "It's something that's achievable, it can happen," he said of the feat that's just about within reach. "Especially when you know the quality of West Ham and how they prepare for games. We need them, that's for sure."
The harsh reality can wait until the impossible is finally out of sight.
