The problem with exhibition games is that the biggest names never show up, and the ones that do don't want to be there.

The pace barely rises above a canter and most players are already in holiday mode, and Wednesday night's match was no different. However, it wasn't Liverpool who were the guilty party, rather it was Sydney FC. 

The Reds may not have bothered arriving in Australia until match day, and didn't so much as have a training session before their fly-in, fly-out 90-minute pay day, but to those watching, it was Sydney FC who appeared to be clock watching as they slumped to a lacklustre 3-0 loss.

It wasn't so much that they were outclassed, but that they showed little interest in testing the Reds. Their mentality wasn't helped by the absence of several stars: Milos Ninkovic, Milos Dimitrijevic, Jordy Buijs and recently departed marquee Filip Holosko, whose holidays were pre-booked.

As the Mexican waves and paper planes suggested, there was no meaning to this match. But in failing to challenge the Reds, Sydney FC missed a massive marketing free-kick. There has proven to be little legacy surrounding tours of major clubs, but if the Sky Blues had any chance of converting the tens of thousands of "Eurosnobs" at ANZ Stadium, they needed to at least display their credentials.

It's not like they hadn't done so before. They tested Tottenham and Chelsea with cagey, yet tenacious, performances in 2015, narrowly losing 1-0 in both. There was hope they could – and should – have bettered those performances, given what they achieved in the A-League season, breaking a plethora of records on their march to the double.

Instead, they showed the toll that effort had taken. They were lethargic, jaded and some players were clearly more focused on their end-of-season trip to Las Vegas.

The cracks appeared after seven minutes. Nimble forward Daniel Sturridge struggled to finish during the Premier League season but made light work of Alex Wilkinson, weaving around the veteran with ease before slotting a simple finish past Danny Vukovic.

By the 19th minute, it was effectively game over for Sydney FC. Roberto Firmino's delicate chip deceived Sydney's static defence to pick out the run of Alberto Moreno and his first-time finish made it 2-0.

Against the EPL giants, Sydney's strength was rendered a weak point. A defence that conceded only 12 goals for the entire A-League season leaked three before half-time in insipid fashion.

Firmino got on the scoresheet before the break when Wilkinson's clearance of a Sturridge cross was deflected towards goal. The Brazilian spared Wilkinson the blushes of an own goal, tapping into an empty net.

Steven Gerrard was substituted to a standing ovation after the break, Sydney's youth players provided more energy and Matt Simon should have scored a consolation seven minute before time.

Instead, 72,000 fans went home happy, while the Sky Blues end their season on an uncharacteristically sombre tone. It would have aggrieved their marketing team more than their coach, while the players will be reassuring themselves that, in the end, hopefully it meant nothing.