By Greg Lea.

It was the ultimate game of two halves. While the first period of Chelsea and Everton's Premier League clash on Saturday was largely devoid of entertainment, the second 45 minutes were among the most enjoyable of the English season so far. 0-0 at the interval, the game finished 3-3, a result that did not really suit either manager.

Roberto Martinez was highly critical of the officials in his post-match press conference, with the Everton boss fuming at the decision to allow Chelsea's stoppage-time equaliser despite goalscorer John Terry being in an offside position when he provided the decisive touch. Guus Hiddink, who sympathised with his counterpart's complaint, focused on praising the character of his players, but he nevertheless must have been disappointed that his side were only able to pick up a point at Stamford Bridge for the second time in four days.

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Indeed, while back-to-back draws with West Bromwich Albion and Everton extended Hiddink's unbeaten run in his current spell as Chelsea boss to six games the Dutchman has still not tasted defeat since replacing Jose Mourinho in the dugout last month they have also kept the champions in the bottom half of the table. Chelsea are still only four points above the relegation zone, with tentative hopes that they could challenge for a Europa League place following the impressive 3-0 win at Crystal Palace in early January having now evaporated.

Recent results demonstrate that many of Chelsea's problems have not been solved by the dismissal of Mourinho. Despite the Portuguese's pedigree and medal haul, the decision to sack him was probably the correct one, but any supporters who expected a quick fix when Hiddink was unveiled as Mourinho's successor are now starting to realise that many of the issues that precipitated the club's slump earlier this season remain.

Chelsea's two matches in the last week or so have shown that the aura that once surrounded the club has vanished. West Brom dominated the first half of their draw at Stamford Bridge last week, committing bodies forward and taking the game to their illustrious opponents. "We played differently against Chelsea because we thought if we pressed them in certain areas we'd get some success and that's what happened," the Welshman said afterwards. It was a telling revelation from a manager whose favoured style of play is largely based on reactivity and counter-attacking.

Everton, too, went toe-to-toe with Hiddink's men; while Martinez's mindset means he tends to broadly stick with the same tactics regardless of who his side are facing, it was still notable that the Toffees did not seem at all fazed by facing the champions in their own back yard.

Being defensively solid and difficult to beat particularly at home were hallmarks of this Chelsea side under Mourinho, and indeed the team that he assembled in his first spell at the club between 2004 and 2007. Conceding five goals against two mid-table teams in the same week would have been unthinkable in times gone by, but that sort of frailty has been a key characteristic of the Blues' woeful title defence this term.

A chronic lack of confidence is continuing to affect many players, meanwhile; although Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have improved in recent weeks, multiple members of Chelsea's squad continue to look shadows of their former selves. The Champions League and FA Cup offer opportunities for the club to salvage some sort of pride this year, but many fans probably wish they could just end their wretched Premier League campaign 16 games early. With a trip to table-topping Arsenal up next, things may get even worse for Chelsea before they get better.