Raindrops fell on the rooftops, lightning thundered and reverberated from Arsenal's former champions – Anfield, White Hart Lane, Stamford Bridge and, of course, Old Trafford.
曼联主场看台一角有枪手球迷高唱：“No one else can say the same。 ”
If they were a little nervous this time, it was probably because they realised that the Emirates Stadium could be the place to win the title next Sunday.
Historically, Arsenal's win at Old Trafford has usually been significant, with all three points at this stadium heralding title glory.
Arsenal were clearly well aware of the tradition, taking advantage of Casemiro's walk to score the winning goal. In the last 39 years, they have won seven league games at the stadium, all 1-0.
The victory in November 2020 was important for new boss Mikel Arteta's sense of pride and progress, ending a winless run since 2006. Earlier, the away trip to Old Trafford played a very important role in Arsenal's league title race.
In the penultimate round of the 2001-02 season, Wiltord scored as Arsenal beat Manchester United to win the title ahead of schedule. In the 1997-98 season, Arsenal has been catching up with Manchester United, and on the day of the visit to the Theatre of Dreams, Overmars scored in stoppage time, after which Arsenal's confidence doubled, and finally beat Manchester United by one point, and won the title again after seven years.
This year, it was Leandro Trossard who scored the winner, but the Arsenal players had mixed feelings after the win. Odegaard led the team to thank the accompanying fans after the game, but did not run to celebrate like other teams who won away from home.
Kai Havertz was too tired to straighten up after the final whistle, they simply didn't have the energy reserves to spare, and they didn't have enough emotions to be so excited.
Although the game was over, the Arsenal fans chose to enjoy the moment, raising their glasses and singing: "It's Trossard again, Ole Ole." ”
Saliba had excellent performances at Liverpool and Manchester City, and Garnacho kept Arsenal's 11th clean sheet on the road this season, just one short of the Premier League record set by Chelsea in 2008/09.
Arteta said after the game: "It's not progress, it's history. "It's not a season wrap-up, it's not about relieving the pain of losing a second title.
Arsenal's hopes of winning the league this year remain slim, but Arteta has taken a different angle to take the subject out of the shadow of Manchester City, this time only talking about Arsenal's achievements and avoiding the heavier pressure.
After three wins in a row against Manchester United (for the first time since 1998), Arsenal are back at the top of the table with 86 points (84 at the end of last season) and keep the suspense of the league title until next week.
Arteta said: "We have opened the box of dreams and we will spend the last day of the season in front of our own fans and have a chance to win the Premier League. It's a day we're going to spend together and I'm glad we can spend it with these players and staff. ”
Since winning the title unbeaten in 2004, Arsenal will usher in the "decisive day" that they have been pursuing for 20 years.
The end of the season may still be heart-wrenching for Mikel Arteta's side, but they have kept the dream alive after their victory at Old Trafford and left doubters speechless.
If last season Arsenal lost the title themselves, this season they persevered to the end. Arsenal suffered a back-to-back defeat at the end of last year but have since regained their form, winning 15 of their last 17 games, slashing 46 points and picking up 22 points in the Big 6 domestic campaign.
A last-round win over Everton would take them to 89 points, their second-best result in franchise history, better than all 14 Premier League champions in history, and fourth-best since the Premier League was downsized in 1995-96.
It's a testament to the culture Arteta has created, with his players able to keep winning for months and many others losing confidence as a result.
Away games against Manchester City, Brighton, Wolves, Tottenham and Manchester United were all difficult to play, but Arsenal won all but a 0-0 draw with Manchester City. Although the title is no longer in their hands, Arsenal have proved that they can stand the test and can maintain their good form at the end of the season as Manchester City have done in previous years.
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 21 league games and have added 23 goal difference since their 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal in March, closing the gap of eight goals to three.
Die-hard fans may believe that there will be a miracle, but rationally, this is becoming less and less likely. When Arsenal fans chanted 'come on' on their way out of Old Trafford, it was a reminder that hope was still alive and that Arsenal were approaching their long-awaited decisive day.
Regardless of the final outcome, Arteta's point is pertinent: this Arsenal team, his Arsenal, whether they end up champions or not, should be able to stand.