Instead of being cause for celebration, Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in charge of the London club ended with a demoralising defeat as Arsenal crumbled to a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Chelsea on Saturday.
They were three goals and a man down inside the opening 17 minutes as referee Andre Marriner mistakenly sent off Kieran Gibbs instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the England midfielder handled Eden Hazard's shot.
The nature of the defeat against the leaders left many to suggest that Wenger's side are now out of the title race, but they will be desperate to prove their doubters wrong when they welcome a beleaguered Swansea City side to the Emirates Stadium.
The thumping leaves Arsenal seven points adrift of Chelsea, but Tuesday's game in hand gives them a chance to reduce that gap to four points.
Garry Monk's men have not won in all competitions since a 3-0 success over fierce rivals Cardiff City in his first game in charge on February 8.
Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Everton leaves them without a victory in eight games and placed precariously 15th in the table, four points clear of third-from-bottom Sunderland - who have played two matches fewer.
The 28-year-old has come off the bench in both of Swansea's last two matches after three months out and there was further positive news at Goodison Park as Jonjo Shelvey played for the first time in a month after recovering from a hamstring problem.
