It has been easy to assume Arsenal's title hopes ended with Heung-min Son's late miss in Manchester City's 2-0 with at Tottenham on Tuesday or, for the pessimists, as far back as Aston Villa's win at Emirates Stadium on April 14, which handed the champions an advantage they have never once looked like relinquishing.
There is still, though, one more round of games to go and further opportunity for twists, turns, drama and history.
The equation for Arsenal on Sunday remains simple: beat Everton in north London and hope City slip up at home to West Ham.
The omens are poor. This is the 10th time the Premier League title has been decided on the final day, and on each of the previous occasions the side which started the afternoon on top has gone on to be champions.
It would feel characteristic of the old Arsenal if they fail to beat Everton, only to discover City have also dropped points, and would go down as a bottle job for the ages
History, however, does offer reasons for optimism, notably in the form of City's title wins in 2011-12 and 2021-22. On both occasions, they had to come from losing positions in their last game to clinch the league, demonstrating that pressure can lead to slow starts and freak matches.
Arsenal fans could be forgiven for viewing West Ham as even less reliable allies than Spurs, with the Hammers already guaranteed to finish ninth and leaking goals on the road. They have conceded five in their last two away days, which should offer City encouragement that they can quickly build up a healthy advantage.
West Ham do, though, have something intangible to play for, in that the game will be David Moyes's last of a successful four-and-a-half year spell in charge which has seen the club win the Conference League.
With the pressure off, can the Hammers players rouse themselves to give the Scot a stirring send-off and ruin the party?
West Ham have enough individual quality to beat any side in the division, particularly in the form of Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen, the latter will be conscious that Sunday's game is a last opportunity to impress England manager Gareth Southgate before he names a provisional squad for the European Championship next week.
Now there is nothing to lose, Moyes could abandon his cautious approach to big away games — his only win on the road against a 'big six' club was, significantly, at Arsenal in December — and throw caution to the wind, commanding his players to press City and take risks, although old habits die hard.
A brave set-up nearly worked for Spurs in midweek, when City did not look entirely immune from the pressure and the strange atmosphere, with Son's late one-on-one not the only chance they gave up.
Pep Guardiola's side, though, are so experienced in these situations and know how to squeeze the life from any game and any opponent.
Everton and Sean Dyche will relish the opportunity to be spoilers, even if they have nothing on the line
The absence of Ederson, who fractured an eye socket against Spurs, is unlikely to have too much impact on Guardiola's plans, given the quality of back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, while Erling Haaland has hit form at just the right time to effectively wrap up another Golden Boot with a game to spare. The Norwegian has scored nine goals in his last six league games, including a second-half double at Spurs.
Arsenal, of course, have their own job to do, and face a tricky assignment against an Everton side who would relish the opportunity to be spoilers, even if they have nothing on the line.
Since a 6-0 defeat to Chelsea, the Toffees have taken 13 points from a possible 15, including a 2-0 win over rivals Liverpool, and Sean Dyche has form at getting one over Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal boss has seemed more relaxed since the defeat to Villa, perhaps conscious that his side were as much at the mercy of other results as their own, but there is pressure on his players this weekend, too.
It would feel characteristic of the old Arsenal if they fail to beat Everton, only to discover City have also dropped points, and would go down as a bottle job for the ages.
Arteta's side, though, are made of steely stuff and have barely put a foot wrong in the league since the Villa game, suggesting they have the mentality to fulfil their side of the bargain and ensure the race goes right to the wire.
Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, will be at the Emirates, presumably hoping to be able to hand over one of the identical trophies to Arsenal and avoid the embarrassment of City winning a record-breaking fourth straight title while 115 charges relating to inaccurate financial figures, use of related parties and unaccounted managerial remunerations remain unresolved.
Such are City's ridiculous levels, it has been easy to wonder if the title race is merely an illusion since Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points at home to Villa and Crystal Palace, respectively, but in the pressure cooker of the Premier League endgame, anything remains possible.
