With a sensible pricing policy – adults can watch top flight matches in Germany for less than £10 at some stadia – the Budesliga has eclipsed the Premier League as Europe’s best-attended division.

Although this 74,000 arena was never going to be troubled by ‘sold out’ signs for a mere exhibition match, there were still more paying patrons than at most competitive Premier League encounters.

Also, affordable tickets also lend themselves to attracting a crowd who are actually ‘supporters’ rather than mere ‘spectators’ and while the ‘action’ on the pitch was often far from gripping, the noise and movement from Hertha’s hardcore fans behind the East Stand goal was near constant and generally more entertaining.

In the absence of Fernando Torres, there was a Spanish number nine on the field in the shape of 17-year-old Danny Pacheco.

The diminutive frontman, who replaced Babel, was one of four changes made by Benitez from the starting line-up for the 1-1 draw with Wisla Krakow.

Italian debutant Andrea Dossena made way for 19-year-old Emiliano Insua at left-back while in midfield Mascherano, Jermaine Pennant came in for Lucas and Yossi Benayoun.

Although Pennant’s tricks on the wing gave Hertha left-back Marc Stein a torrid time in the opening exchanges, the first half as a whole was rather lacking in incidents.

The only two shots of note came from the home side’s overlapping full-back on the opposite flank, Sofian Chahed, and both of those were off target.

Liverpool emerged for the second half with an entirely new back four as Philipp Degen, Dossena, Sami Hyypia and Martin Skrtel entered the fray but the action soon turned to the other end of the pitch as one man who is playing a major part in the side’s pre-season campaign – Andriy Voronin – was brought down in the box by Kaka.

Cynics might suggest that the Ukrainian is merely being placed in the ‘shop window’ by his manager as he attempts to raise funds to remodel his squad – with a return here to Germany touted – but Voronin, seems to be almost solar-powered due to his impressive displays in the warmer months at the start and end of the season.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man dusted himself down after being felled to take the resultant spot-kick but his 50th-minute effort was saved by substitute goalkeeper Christian Fiedler, who had replaced Jaroslav Drobny at the interval.

Fiedler guessed correctly, going down low to his right to turn Voronin’s shot around the post for a corner-kick.

He wasn’t the only custodian to shine though as shortly before making way for youngster David Martin on 64 minutes, Brazilian Diego Cavalieri, who has been given the tough task of displacing Pepe Reina between the posts at Anfield next season, certainly showed he is up for the fight with a couple of smart saves.

The £3million recruit from Palmeiras first palmed away a wickedly-swerving corner-kick by Patrick Ebert before blocking a powerful header from close range by Marko Pantelic.

A raft of substitutions from both sides ensured that the closing stages were untidy and unmemorable but it could be all so different in a week’s time when a fit-again Steven Gerrard is expected to be joined by Liverpool ’s victorious returning Spanish contingent from the European Championship finals in their homeland against Reina’s former club Villarreal.