Two very different sides took to the Goodison Park pitch on Saturday evening.
One had an abundance of energy, intensity and tempo. If not for a brilliant goalkeeping performance, and a couple of strokes of bad luck from hitting the woodwork, they could have come away with all three points in a very comfortable manner.
The other was largely lethargic and indecisive. A real lack of pace, quality in possession and strong decision-making hamstrung those at the top end of the pitch - while lapses at the back were all too common.
If you're an Everton fan who hadn't tuned into the clash with Aston Villa on Saturday evening at Goodison, would you really need telling which of those descriptions matches the Blues?
This has been the case for Carlo Ancelotti's side on far too many occasions this term, and contrary to belief from some it's not just because they've been playing at home.
Look at the performance against Arsenal last time out, for example. In some areas it was strong, particularly at the back, but else where it was lackadaisical, slow and laboured.
Evertonians have almost got used to their side playing in this manner throughout the latter stages of this term. Injuries have of course been a factor, but this lack of consistency is tiresome.
Aston Villa knew exactly how to set up against the Blues and really they should have won by a lot more than the scoreline they eventually did.
Most of their chances were largely coming on the counter-attack, but they were not averse to cutting straight through the heart of the hosts either.
They played with copious amounts of energy, especially when out of possession in making sure Everton could not have any time to play out from the back in the way they wanted.
The visitors were direct, targeting the weak points in the Blues' defence with ultimate efficiency and slicing the hosts open with consummate ease.
And, Villa were absolutely full of tempo all over the pitch.
It's not all about pace, although that is a factor, but it's how quick the visitors knew what they were doing with the ball and their sharpness in being able to execute that before Everton could react.
The Blues couldn't hope to play in that same manner and that's the real concern for Ancelotti as his side pushes on for Europe.
Away from home the only thing that tends to be different is there is much more focus when Everton are out of possession. They don't make nearly as many glaring errors, they aren't dominated in such a confusing manner.
For large parts of Saturday's match, it seemed as if the hosts had no answer to a gameplan they surely knew was coming from the visitors.
Of course a late change to the line-up thanks to the injury to James Rodriguez certainly didn't help matters, but that really can't be used as an excuse.
Everton didn't have enough quality to even complete the basics in the final third for a late of the game, letting half-opportunities slip them by and giving the visiting defence a fairly easy ride.
How many times has that been true of the Blues this season?
It is truly tiresome for analysts and fans themselves to keep making the same point, but it's still salient.
Inconsistency has affected every side this season, but that doesn't give Everton an excuse. They were out-worked, out-played and out-fought for large periods of a crucial home game.
Whether fans are in the stadium or not, that can't happen.
In any other campaign, the Blues would be right out of the fight for Europe with performances such as this, but somehow they do still find themselves in the fight.
You wouldn't have thought it from their 90 minutes against Aston Villa. With only five games left of the season, that's unacceptable.
