Chelsea may have come into the game boasting a 12-game unbeaten run in the League, but it's the stern tests that await over the next week that was clearly at the forefront of the Dutchman's mind.
With Cesc Fabregas dropped to the bench and Diego Costa rested altogether due to a minor tendon injury picked up in training yesterday, this felt more like the calm before the storm from the outset.
No-one can blame Hiddink for taking a cautious approach. After all, Chelsea's last hopes of winning any silverware will be on the line against Paris Saint Germain and Everton in the Champions League and FA Cup respectively.
But after winning their previous three games, the door had been opened ajar to find some salvation for their poor title defence via the League.
When Hiddink took over in December, Chelsea were one point above the relegation zone and staring humiliation in the face.
Expectations were so low, that a surge towards a European place was barely hoped for, let alone expected.
And yet before kick-off they were in eighth spot and more remarkably just eight points behind a top four place.
For so long it looked like Chelsea would maintain their surge toward the higher echelons of the table.
In Costa's absence, it was 20-year-old Bertrand Traore who was entrusted to lead the line.
For over half an hour, the difference in quality between them was noticeable, albeit understandable. The Burkina Faso international looked nervous and his first touch let him down.
Gary Cahill told Standard Sport in midweek though that Traore is hard to stop on the turn in training and so it proved this afternoon.
Stoke were left stunned as he spun sharply on the edge of the area and drilled a shot into the top corner six minutes before the break.
Chelsea's defence, minus captain John Terry again, was certainly put to the test ahead of the visit of PSG though and Mame Diouf was guilty of missing two clear cut chances.
Still, Chelsea looked on course for another home win until Hiddink let Wednesday night creep into his thinking.
Chelsea had been in control, but Eden Hazard, on his 200th appearance was brought off for Ruben Loftus-Cheek just after the hour mark.
Fabregas was also given a token run-out late on, yet was clearly going through the motions, while Loic Remy was rusty after coming on for Traore.
The substitutions handed the initiative to Stoke and they were gifted the equaliser when Thibaut Courtois punched a Shaquiri cross straight to Diouf, who made no mistake with a cushioned header.
When West Ham were losing at Everton, Chelsea had briefly climbed to within four points of Slaven Bilic's side in sixth place at one stage.
However, while the Blues faltered, the Hammers came back to win at Everton and by full-time the gap between the two clubs was up to nine.
Hiddink now boasts the longest unbeaten League record of any new manager after extending his own run to 12 (Chelsea's is 13 overall).
But seven of those have been draws and therein lies the reason why the club are 10th rather than truly threatening the Champions League positions.
Seeing Chelsea slip up at home will be the perfect tonic for PSG, who boast a 2-1 lead from the first leg of their last 16 tie.
It goes without saying that Hiddink can ill afford to suffer another draw in four days' time.
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