Fresh off his red-hot Socceroos form, Jamie Maclaren did the damage with two quick-fire goals in the first half too much for Adelaide to recover from.

City's captain was adamant that there's still room for improvement before Wednesday's shot at a trophy.

"It's three points and I thought we were really good value for the win, especially in the first half," Scott Jamieson said.

"Apart from little things defensively and the second half we made substituions that put us out of our natural positions defensively. I think there were a few lads who haven't played much football who needed a rest.

"We were really resilient last year but probably had a different side. this season we're going to put our backs to the wall."

Adelaide's skipper Michael Jakobsen was a little less optimistic, citing his side's tough run of injuries as the major factor behind a dispirited first half display.

Things almost turned around in the second through some sumptuous displays from the reds' young guns - Curacaoan Michael Maria and Aussie midfielder Louis D'Arrigo the standouts - but sealing a stalemate was a bridge too far.

"We have a lot of injuries and people out last minute, so we did what we could with what he had," Jakobsen said.

"Dorigo is doing everything at the moment, he's doing a great job for the team. There's a lot of young people coming through but at the moment we have to dig deep.

"With the performance we had in the second half, we can put ourselves into the FFA Cup final with a chance for a win."