After wrapping up his Arsenal press conference on Monday night, Mikel Arteta had to rush to get in front of a television.
The Spaniard conducted his media duties later than usual after a full day of meetings and interviews ahead of Arsenal's Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid.
With that done, Arteta's only remaining appointment was with a match that might well have had a defining say in how the season ends for his side.
Arteta was asked on Saturday whether he would be watching Manchester City's trip to Everton, being played the night before one of the biggest occasions of his managerial career.
"Yes, because I love football," Arteta said. "And there's so much at stake. So yeah, I will be there."
That love would have only have grown stronger as he watched his former side earn a 3-3 draw with City.
Jeremy Doku's last-gasp strike secured Pep Guardiola's men a point but that was not enough to stop Arsenal seizing control of the Premier League title race.
The equation is now crystal clear for the Gunners: beat West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace and the 22-year wait to be domestic champions will be over.
That result at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will have sent a bolt of energy through the Arsenal players and provided a huge lift for everyone at the club ahead of their semi-final showdown with Atletico.
Particularly after such an impressive win over Fulham on Saturday, one where Arsenal rediscovered their attacking verve, the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium should be white-hot.
The Gunners produced a mature, controlled performance in Madrid last week to pick up a 1-1 draw. Had certain VAR decisions gone their way, Arsenal could easily have travelled home with an aggregate lead.
There should, however, still be real confidence that the job can be completed. This is now a very different time of the season and with different pressures, but Arsenal did beat Atletico 4-0 in north London in October.
Almost since the turn of the year, it has felt like Arsenal have been swimming against the tide. They have been desperately trying to hold the momentum but in the last couple of months it has been lost.
Now, at the perfect time, it is with them again. The title race is back in their hands, with City themselves faltering under pressure, and there is a huge opportunity in the Champions League too.
It promises to be an occasion, and an atmosphere, for the ages. Thousands of Arsenal fans will greet the team coach as it arrives at the stadium and a huge tifo will cover the East Stand just before kick-off.
The stage is set for perhaps the best atmosphere the Emirates has experienced since it opened in 2006
The atmosphere for the win over Fulham on Saturday was superb. That was in no small part down to the approach of the team, who were as forward-thinking as they have been in 2026.
There was a remarkable moment at half-time. As the whistle went and the players turned for the tunnel, a roar went around the stadium, the kind of noise you would expect at the end of the match or even after a goal.
Those Arsenal fans knew their side were back on track and that feeling will only have grown since, setting the stage for perhaps the best atmosphere the Emirates has experienced since it opened in 2006.
City have stumbled and Arsenal have been further boosted by the return of Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, who are both set to be in the squad tonight. That would leave Arsenal at full-strength in attack.
Arteta and his players are one home win away from club football's biggest fixture, a stage they have only once graced before. In the background, a Premier League title is there to be won.
The tifo tonight is understood to reference Arteta's "jump in this boat" message in January, when he urged supporters to leave behind their anxiety and relish the journey towards "incredible things".
The final destination for that voyage is now within sight.
