Even so, few expected the onslaught that followed. Four goals in the final 20 minutes ensured the Wanderers would clinch top spot in Group H with a scoreline that reflected their overwhelming dominance against a club that only barely showed-up.

It took just six minutes for the Wanderers to stamp their authority on the match and the manner in which they did put the visitors lacklustre approach on display. Left back Antony Golec surged into the box from the sideline without barely receiving a challenge and when he did, his gangly frame still cut past two defenders with the ease another defender should never receive. A hopeful shot deflected into the path of the unmarked Shannon Cole who opened the scoring with a stunning acrobatic shot from close range.

Golec was playing in just his fifth match of the season but looked as match-hardened as any other and was again the architect for what should've been the Wanderers second just minutes later. He exploited the charitable amount of space out wide to whip in a pin-point cross to Tomi Juric inside the box and the Wanderers striker came agonisingly close with a glancing header.

Even by the early stages of the first half, the match looked to be the perfect preparation for the Wanderers A-League semi-final against Central Coast Mariners on Saturday as they faced a team that appeared to have attended only to fulfil the obligations of the competition, rather than to salvage pride with a consolitary win.

Labinot Haliti became the next beneficiary when he sliced through Guizhou's defence with such considerable easy that he seemed shocked to be through on goal so swiftly and rushed a shot from inside the box when he still had ample space to close in further on goal. Chances came to Kwabena Appiah and Juric but the Wanderers couldn't build on their goal lead by half-time and their 62 per-cent share of possession was telling of their total control.

There were a number of displays of intent by Guizhou after the break. Goalkeeper Ante Covic was brought into action with his first meaningful save before the hour-mark but even when denying Fan Yunlong's long-range attempt, the veteran shotstopper never looked like being beaten.

At the other end, the Wanderers were toying with Guizhou's defence but were denied by some brave last-ditch defending. Though, the inevitable eventually arrived and when it did, it came about by the most appropriate means. A wayward back pass between the last defender and goalkeeper gave the oncoming Haliti the chance to seal the result with a composed finish.

Whatever resistance the Wanderers met was well and truly eroded after that goal and a third was on the way after captain Michael Beauchamp was pulled to ground inside the box. Substitute Aaron Mooy calmly slotted the resulting spot-kick in the 80th minute but the result was already so foregone that the home crowd preferred to do their "Poznan" instead of celebrating another goal.

Though they weren't done yet. Shinji Ono made the night all the more memorably with a fierce half-volley from the edge of the box to make it four while NIkolai Topor-Stanley's forehead made it five.

Western Sydney Wanderers FC 5 (Shannon Cole 8, Labinot Haliti 75, Aaron Mooy 81 pen, Shinji Ono 85, Nikolai Topor-Stanley 88) bt Guizhou Renhe 0 .Referee: Alireza Faghani.