You’re point about their keeper is especially relevant. Despite “jogging” through most of the game,Arsenal score at least one more without his heroics. He made some very good point blank saves.
One problem with Arsenal exiting this early is it hurts their UEFA coefficient. Currently ranked 23, that means a good chance of being placed in Pot 3 and having a CL group next season that features two strong opponents. Arsenal won't drop to Pot 4, there are plenty of higher ranked clubs that won't qualify for the CL. Might have squeaked into Pot 2 with a strong run. https://www.uefa.com/nationalassociations/uefarankings/club/#/yr/2023 Or just win the PL and get Pot 1.
My head knows this. I'm even normally the kind of guy who gets the rationale of sacrificing select games in order to better position your team for max points/ long seasons. My heart, however... Part of my issue is I'll never get over how Abromivich catapulted Chelsea over Arsenal in the modern English pecking order. (Setting the stage for Man Citeh, in the process.) Even if I put the asterisk by their trophies because of the financial doping, I'm still very jealous of Chelsea's European accomplishments and achieving the stated goal of winning every trophy for which they were eligible. That their commercial deals and projected value is now above Arsenal's is due heavily to their furious dedication to win honors. Until Arsenal can win more European trophies I'll always feel bitter about this. But that's just me.
Oh, in case I wasn't clear---I wanted to win this. Intellectually, I think I'm right that we're not deep/good enough to sustain a fight on two fronts. But I still wanted it. There's no doubt we've underperformed in Europe, especially the strong Wenger clubs.