Blues Edged By AS Roma On Historic Day At Hill Dickinson Stadium

Everton concluded their pre-season with a 1-0 defeat to Italian giants Roma on a day that will be remembered for a first capacity crowd at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Matias Soule's curling effort on 70 minutes was enough to settle the result on the pitch, with the Blues' third and final test event of their new home otherwise a success.

Jarrad Branthwaite – who missed the Premier League Summer Series in the USA with a minor injury – returned to the starting line-up, alongside captain James Tarkowski and full-backs Jake O'Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko.

There was also a maiden Everton appearance from the start for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who completed his move from Chelsea earlier this week, with the new signing playing in an advanced central-midfield role behind fellow summer signing Thierno Barry.

The familiar first beats of Z Cars felt somewhat surreal, a new setting – which has been years in the making – a genuine goosebumps moment for the sold-out crowd in attendance at the Blues' new 52,769-seater home.

David Moyes' side started brightly. Jake O'Brien was a matter of inches away from applying what would have been a goalscoring touch on James Tarkowski's header at the far post from Dewsbury-Hall's inviting early corner.

An unwanted injury concern came Moyes' way moments later, when Vitalii Mykolenko hobbled off inside 11 minutes to be replaced by another new addition in the form of 19-year-old Adam Aznou.

Dewsbury-Hall was making a strong first impression and was involved again on 19 minutes, playing Barry in on goal after alert work in midfield from Idrissa Gana Gueye – but the Toffees' new striker failed to properly connect with his attempted left-footed chip over the on-rushing goalkeeper and Roma survived.

The pair combined again just after the half-hour mark, Dewsbury-Hall losing his marker in midfield with a drop of the shoulder before staying on his feet despite a blatant foul to play in Barry, who forced Mile Svilar into a save at full stretch with a well-struck effort from the edge of the penalty area.

The visitors' first moment of real threat came on 35 minutes when Angelino's cross from the left flank bobbled into the path of Bryan Cristante but the Roma captain's goal-bound effort was well blocked by James Tarkowski.

Angelino then went close himself on the stroke of half-time but his venomous left-footed strike from 20 yards out cannoned back off the crossbar and the scores remained level.

Yet again, the Toffees started in positive fashion after the restart and with the second half less than two minutes old, Charly Alcaraz, Barry and Iliman Ndiaye combined well, with the latter flashing a first-time shot narrowly wide of the post after a free-flowing move.

A few minutes later, Gana had Svilar scrambling to his right but his shot was just off target after Jake O'Brien's low cross had deflected into the Senegalese midfielder's path.

Roma forged two opportunities in the space of a few minutes as the contest approached the hour point, Wesley's volley hitting Neil El Aynaoui and pinging wide of the target before El Aynaoui was denied by a strong Jordan Pickford on the very next attack.

Beto, Dwight McNeil and Tim Iroegbunam were introduced on 61 minutes as Moyes shuffled his pack.

But it would be Roma who would go in front with 20 minutes remaining, Soule latching on to a defence-splitting pass before curling an excellent left-footed shot into the corner of the north stand net.

Everton almost restored parity immediately, only to be denied by an acrobatic save from Svilar, who clawed away Alcaraz's flicked header from McNeil's in-swinging cross.

Gian Piero Gasperini's men then forced a flurry of corner in quick succession but the Blues stood strong with another smart save from Pickford to keep out Soule, while Branthwaite's last-ditch block prevented Daniele Ghilardi.

Seamus Coleman was introduced for the final 10 minutes for his first appearance of pre-season following injury, a welcome boost for Moyes ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League opener at Leeds United on Monday 18 August (8pm BST).