The Blues were held to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, and the Dutch coach believes that his side couldn't afford wasting anymore points.

"I think it's near the end, let's be honest and face the facts. Manchester United had their win as expected," Hiddink said after the Toffees game.

Following United's 2-0 win over Portsmouth, Chelsea are now in third spot in the table, six points behind the Red Devils who also have one game in hand.

"What we said beforehand - we can't waste any points - which we did tonight. That's why I think it's finished for us at this moment," the ex- Real Madrid coach added.

Unimpressed

The former Real Madrid and Holland tactician added that he wasn't impressed with his team's display against Everton.

"We worked hard but we did not work properly in using the width," he said.

"We didn't play good enough and lacked the intelligence to break through Everton's massive defence."

Chelsea will have the chance to make up for their league disappointment when they face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final on April 28th.