Dundee vs Everton

The pattern of the match was set early. Everton's first meaningful chance inside five minutes came when a Dundee backpass was missed by goalkeeper Jon McCracken, who scrambled back to clear off the line. The warning went unheeded.

The breakthrough arrived in the 37th minute. Harrison Armstrong's persistence won the ball in the final third and fed Beto in the same position he had missed from a minute earlier. On this occasion, the Portuguese striker's low left-footed shot took a double deflection and looped over McCracken to give Everton a deserved lead. HT: Dundee 0-1 Everton.

Moyes made four changes at the interval, introducing Tom King, James Tarkowski, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Dwight McNeil. The second half followed the same script: Everton pressure, Dundee mistakes.

The second goal came in the 69th minute. Beto's replacement, Thierno Barry, closed down McCracken rapidly as the goalkeeper prepared to clear. The attempted clearance cannoned off Barry's boot and looped back over the keeper into the net — a gift, but one earned by the forward's relentless chase.

Harvey Foster made it 3-0 in the 84th minute. Another poor Dundee clearance from a goal kick fell to the 18-year-old on the edge of the area, and he side-footed a composed finish into the open net.

Dwight McNeil rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute. More slack possession play from Dundee deep in their own half allowed Charly Alcaraz to intercept and set up McNeil for a simple tap-in from close range.

The first goal was crucial, but the second — Barry's 69th-minute press — effectively ended the contest. Dundee had held firm through the opening stages of the second half, but the goalkeeper's second major error sucked the belief from the home side and opened the floodgates for three goals in the final 21 minutes.

Tim Iroegbunam was the standout player on the pitch. The midfielder won the ball at will, broke up play repeatedly and used it intelligently, anchoring the 4-1-4-1 shape with authority. Several observers rated him the best player across the 90 minutes.

Thierno Barry transformed the game after replacing Beto at the hour mark. His goal was a product of pure determination, and his link-up play and aerial presence offered a glimpse of the form that had eluded him since his arrival last summer. He also created the pressure that led to the third goal.

Harvey Foster capped a composed midfield display with a well-taken goal. The 18-year-old showed calmness beyond his years to finish the chance, and his range of passing from deep midfield positions caught the eye throughout his half-hour appearance.

Beto opened the scoring with a deflected strike and looked sharper than in recent outings, getting shots away consistently and growing in confidence as the first half wore on.

Everton's 4-0 scoreline flattered the margin of control slightly but not the dominance. Two of the four goals were direct results of goalkeeping errors, and a third (Beto's) came via a heavy deflection. That said, Everton created the better chances throughout — Tyrique George and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall combined well down the left, Michael Rohl looked composed at right-back, and the visitors limited Dundee to a handful of half-chances, with Tom King producing a smart low save in the 74th minute to preserve the clean sheet.

Dundee, playing their sixth pre-season fixture, had more match sharpness on paper but never found a rhythm against Everton's press. The high turnover of personnel — 9 substitutions for Dundee, 11 for Everton — made the second half a disjointed affair, but the pattern of Everton pressure and Dundee errors was consistent across both periods.

This was Everton's first of seven pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, which kicks off on 21 August. Moyes used the fixture to give minutes to a squad depleted by World Cup absences — Jordan Pickford, Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson are still on post-tournament rest, while James Garner (groin), Jarrad Branthwaite (returning to fitness), Vitaliy Mykolenko (away for the birth of his second son) and new signing Hayden Hackney (integration pathway) were all unavailable.

Everton continue their pre-season schedule with a trip to Bolton Wanderers on 25 July (Toughsheet Community Stadium, 3pm BST), followed by Stoke City away on 28 July.

Dundee, who finished ninth in the Scottish Premiership last season under Steven Pressley, were playing their sixth pre-season friendly. They face Ross County away on 21 July in a Premier Sports Cup group fixture before hosting Clyde on 25 July.

A routine workout for Everton, made easier by generous Dundee defending. The scoreline probably overstates the gap between the sides at this stage of pre-season, but Moyes will be encouraged by the energy of Iroegbunam, the improvement from Barry, and the composure of academy graduate Foster. For Dundee, the errors will be a concern, but the fitness benefits of a sixth pre-season outing matter more than the result.

Venue: Dens Park, Dundee Date: 18 July 2026 Kick-off: 14:00 BST (13:00 UTC) Attendance: Not published at time of writing

Goals: Beto 37', Thierno Barry 69', Harvey Foster 84', Dwight McNeil 89'

Everton starting XI (4-1-4-1): Travers (King 46'); Rohl (Tamen 60'), O'Brien (Tarkowski 46'), Keane (Campbell 60'), Aznou (Foster 60'); Iroegbunam (Olayiwola 60'); Dibling (Finney 60'), Armstrong (Graham 60'), Dewsbury-Hall (McNeil 46'), George (Barry 60'); Beto (Alcaraz 46'). Sub not used: Catesby.

Dundee: McCracken; Sharp (O'Hara 46'), Astley (Bevan 46'), Robertson (Finnigan 46'), Halliday (Odutayo 46'); Hay (Reilly 46'), Forrest (Hamilton 46'), Jones (Bevan 46'), Murray (Westley 60'), Crombie (Besir 60'); ... (full lineup incomplete in available sources).