Much-changed Scotland ended their pre-World Cup camp by succumbing to a second successive friendly defeat against Ivory Coast at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, now of Villarreal, tapped in the only goal after Elye Wahi hit the far post during a period of first-half dominance from the Ivorians.

Scottish football icons Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Kenny Dalglish were in attendance as head coach Steve Clarke reverted to a 5-3-2 shape and handed second caps to defenders Dom Hyam and Ross McCrorie following Saturday's loss to Japan.

A lively start from the Scots fuelled hope they would respond to a flat weekend display, with Ryan Christie forcing a save and Kieran Tierney dragging wide before the former fired over.

But a potential goal-saving John Souttar block from a Pepe effort sparked a dominant spell from Ivory Coast, who are also World Cup-bound after qualifying without losing a game or conceding a goal.

The opener from Pepe - a £72m signing for Arsenal in 2019 - came while Scotland were stretched and they failed to recover, despite an improved second-half showing.

Ipswich striker George Hirst, arguably Scotland's best performer on the night, headed over and slammed off target when a pass was on.

Aside from that, Clarke's side forced the issue with set-plays - Hirst seeing a near-post header saved - but they were fortunate to not fall further behind on multiple occasions.

Souttar thwarted Guela Doue, who also nodded over a chance, goalkeeper Scott Bain - a half-time replacement for Liam Kelly - produced a stunning stop to deny Manchester United's Amad Diallo, and Simon Adingra clipped the woodwork.

Clarke now has plenty to ponder after two losses without scoring, with his squad set to reunite in May before jetting off the US.

Clarke said he was disappointed to hear boos on the full-time whistle at Hampden on Saturday and some were audible again in Liverpool after a second straight defeat.

The Scotland head coach promised an "unrecognisable" team from the one that started the timid loss to Japan.

He delivered that and changed to his previously favoured shape, with captain Andy Robertson back at left-wing back and Kieran Tierney on the left of the back three.

That system switch would have prompted groans from sections of the Tartan Army who want to see a more adventurous set-up, but the head coach was right to point out pre-match that the formation helped take Scotland to back-to-back Euros.

However, after a lively start, the Scots struggled to cope in and out of possession, with distances between midfield and defence as wide as the River Mersey, especially after possession turned over.

The movement of the Ivorians caused major problems, while decision making in attack was also questionable, with positional discipline lacking from midfield trio Billy Gilmour, Ryan Christie and Scott McTominay.

The latter did, at least, manage to force Ivory Coast goalkeeper Alban Lafont into a smart first-half stop.

The half-time introduction of Lewis Ferguson helped cover gaps in the Scotland midfield, but there was a lack of imagination going the other way, with wastefulness on show after winning possession in promising areas.

Even throughout an ultimately glorious World Cup qualifying campaign, Scotland often relied on moments.

It is difficult to picture what a Scotland goal looks like at present, which is a concern given the level of opposition Clarke's men will face in the US.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: "Like always with friendlies, some things were good, some things bad.

"I thought we started the game really well. We got caught on the counter attack and didn't react well to losing the goal. The first half became a bit of a struggle. Second half, I thought we were excellent, we dominated the ball and asked them to defend.

"Sometimes you're hoping the ball will fall for you and it didn't fall for us tonight, but you have to make it fall for you. That's the little bit we need to get better at."

Scotland captain Andy Robertson: "We caused them problems - last 20 minutes we were the team pushing forwards. It's one of those games.

"We want to win these games, but we're also trying stuff. We get caught on the counter for the goal, which can't really happen.

"It's up to us now to go back to our clubs and be really excited for the summer."

Scotland striker George Hirst: "It was a tough game. We were a little bit sloppy at times, but second half we came out with a great mentality and got after them.

"All I can do is go out whenever I get an opportunity and play as well as I can. If I can keep doing that and doing it for Ipswich, it will stand me in good stead."

Scotland will get a Hampden send-off on 30 May when they face Curacao before heading to the US for a final pre-World Cup friendly against an unconfirmed opponent, likely against a South American side.

Their tournament kicks off on 14 June (02:00 BST) against Haiti in Boston, with group fixtures against Morocco and Brazil to follow.