FLAMES, fireworks and a whole lot of faffing around set the tone for a day Liverpool will want to forget in a hurry.

They may play American Football at Wembley these days but it does not mean the FA Cup final should be turned into the Super Bowl.

Had we been spared the three minutes and 44 seconds of indie rock band Hard-Fi, the accompanying tin foil dancers and much of the other fanfare, then this game may have actually kicked-off at a reasonable hour.

This is no slur on their talent or performances but exactly what relevance did it have to either set of supporters or the supposed crown jewel in the domestic season?

How did a band from Staines get the gig?

In fact, why was there a gig on the pitch anyway?

It was all mighty unnecessary.

What ever happened to the tradition of Cup final day?

Liverpool will hope to profit and learn from a certain group of Americans but the FA trying to dress the greatest domestic cup competition with the razzmatazz of Stateside looked an ill fit.

Chiefs at Soho Square should be applauded for trying to shake off that dated image of the stuffy blazer and tie brigade but some of the pre-match ‘entertainment’ on Saturday was misguided.

The display from the Band of the Blues and Royals felt right but much of the rest felt pointless.

Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer, a Brentford fan backed by a Red on drums and a Chelsea supporter setting the bassline, was quoted in the matchday programme as saying: “It’s a shame Brentford aren’t in the FA Cup final.”

No it wasn’t.

The fact that Liverpool failed to show up for the first hour is the biggest disappointment at all.

Even as they travelled back to Merseyside in the small hours it will have been a 60 minute period at Wembley which burned away at Reds’ fans the most.

It was here that Liverpool lost the 131st FA Cup final.

Chelsea didn’t even play particularly well but took an unassailable lead.

Whichever way you dress it up, Liverpool were rubbish for an hour.

The problems were frustratingly obvious as well.

With Luis Suarez as the lone frontman, a strong supply line from midfield was vital.

Unfortunately the support was weak.

Craig Bellamy and Stewart Downing toiled on the flanks whilst Steven Gerrard found himself doing to work of three midfielders.

The captain should have been storming forward to link up with Suarez but was often found mopping up in a deep lying midfield position.

At times there appeared to be a chasm between the midfield and the Uruguayan.

Instead of short and precise link up play, balls went increasingly long and aimless.

Suarez barely had a touch in the first half and Chelsea were never long without possession.

Jordan Henderson, selected to start in all three of Liverpool’s Wembley dates this season, was off the pace whilst Jay Spearing failed to get a handle on Juan Mata whose movement and touch controlled the game in the first half.

Spearing has progressed and developed significantly this year and was an unsung hero of the semi-final win over Everton but he struggled on Saturday.

The day before the final, Liverpool’s own television channel aired a montage of meaty challenges between the sides in recent seasons but in this so-called fierce rivalry, the Reds lacked much in the way of bite.

Typically, Gerrard timed a few strong tackles to perfection but there appeared a lack of fire in some Red bellies for an hour.

Andy Carroll’s powerful and fearsome display was the catalyst for their courageous second half fightback.

Historically, Liverpool have done their best work after the break in Cup finals but even this latest revival was not enough to keep their fine tradition in the competition.

Perhaps what went on before kick-off was telling us this was not to be a day for normal Cup standards.