A short corner routine comes to nothing for the home side but it's been a positive start for them.

They're really looking to press Everton high up the pitch.

Brighton quickly onto the front foot and Elisabeth Terland sends the first shot of the match high over the bar from distance.

An ambitious effort and she promptly apologises to her team-mates.

Brighton are in their traditional blue and white stripes, Everton in their all-pink away kit... and away we go!

We've got just over 15 minutes before kick-off in the top of the table clash but the teams are out at Broadfield Stadium.

Brighton will move off the bottom of the table with a win.

It looks like the sun is shining at Leigh Sports Village.

You can always tell you're at the business end of the season when evening games kick-off in the daylight.

Image source, Reuters

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Leigh Sports Village

Image source, BBC Sport

What a match we have in store tonight at Leigh Sports Village.

Women's Super League leaders Manchester United take on third-placed Arsenal in a must-win match for both sides, especially as reigning holders and title favourites Chelsea are only one point behind United and with a game in hand.

It has been a great season so far for both United and Arsenal. The Gunners already have the Continental League Cup in the trophy cabinet and are in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with their away and then home ties against Wolfsburg coming up in their next two matches after tonight.

A four-goal away win for Arsenal here would take Jonas Eidevall's side top of the WSL.

While Arsenal are going for a treble, United are still dreaming of their own double after Rachel Williams' dramatic 89th-minute winner on Saturday saw them edge past Brighton 3-2 in an FA Cup semi-final classic to set up a Wembley final date with Emma Hayes' Chelsea.

It's all set up perfectly to be a great evening of football.

Image source, Reuters

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall says it is "very odd" that his side have a league match before their Champions League semi-final and Chelsea do not.

The Gunners face Manchester United in the WSL tonight before their first-leg European last-four tie against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Chelsea play Barcelona on Saturday without a midweek match.

"It's like you want one of the teams to have a better chance to succeed than the other," said Eidevall.

"I find it very odd that we are the only team of the two English teams that are forced to play before our semi-final.

"I can't see the reasons for it. It's something we have to look into after, for the appropriate time, because I can't see the logic."

Read more here.

Manchester United winger Leah Galton has been in brilliant form this season and ahead of tonight's game she spoke to MOTDx's Liam MacDevitt...

• Man Utd have lost just one of their last 11 WSL games (W8 D2), going down 1-0 at Chelsea last month. Their last home defeat in the competition was also against Chelsea in November (W4 D1 since).
• Having failed to win any of their first three WSL games in 2023 (D2 L1), Arsenal have now won their last four by an aggregate score of 13-2.
• Manchester United's Katie Zelem has created more chances from set play than any other player in the WSL this season (32), with the Red Devils netting a league-high 11 goals from either corners (8) or free-kicks (3).
• Arsenal's Frida Maanum has scored in each of her last three WSL appearances, netting three goals in total. Her previous four goals this campaign also came in consecutive appearances, scoring in four in a row in October/November.

Image source, Reuters

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Leigh Sports Village

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United make two changes from the side that gained the thrilling 3-2 FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton on Sunday as Aoife Mannion and Nikita Parris come in for Millie Turner and Lucia Garcia.

Rachel Williams, who came off the bench to score the goal to take United to Wembley is again among the substitutes.

Manchester United XI: Earps, Blundell, Mannion, Le Tissier, Batlle, Zelem, Ladd, Galton, Parris, Toone, Russo.

Subs: Baggaley, Turner, Riviere, Tounkara, Cascarino, Boa Risa, Thomas, Garcia, Williams.

Arsenal are playing for the first time since the 2-1 home win over Manchester City on 2 April.

Boss Jonas Eidevall makes three changes, including in goal. Manuela Zinsberger replaces Sabrina D'Angelo, while Laura Wienroither and Kathrine Kuhl start, with both Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord not in the squad.

Arsenal XI: Zinsberger, Wienroither, Souza, Wubben-Moy, Maritz, Walti, Williamson, Maanum, Moller Kuhl, Blackstenius, Pelova.

Subs: D'Angelo, Marckesse, Goldie, Beattie, Catley, Agyemang, Taylor, Queiroz.

Image source, Getty Images

Ahead of tonight's huge encounter, The Football News Show's latest episode 'WSL: the best title race ever?' invited fans of both sides to discuss how they were feeling ahead of the match.

Manchester United fan Zoe Hodges: "It would be a pretty big statement to beat Arsenal again [after November's 2-3 victory at the Emirates Stadium]. If you had told United fans at the start of the season that you would finish in the top three, we'd have been happy with that. But the position we are in right now, top of the league and through to a final, it couldn't be much better."

Prediction: 3-2 Manchester United

Arsenal fan Dalia Beach: "I think it is season-defining. With the injuries that we have I think it is a big ask to get three points, but I think the side have shown the resilience that they can do it. I don't want to call their win at the Emirates flukey, but it kind of was, it was a particular off day for us."

Prediction: 0-1 Arsenal

Moving onto the evening's other game - we'll have team news for you shortly - and of the four games that both Manchester United and Arsenal have played against top four rivals so far this season, each side has only picked up one victory.

However, the good thing for United fans is that their side's sole win came away at the Emirates in November, against tonight's opponents Arsenal...

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Everton boss Sorensen, who was appointed last April, knows that a win tonight will put his team two points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa - and he wants them to keep scaling the table by controlling games.

The Dane accepts how difficult mastering his desired style can be but said: "We try to do it differently: to build from the back and really keep possession. That eliminates transitional opportunities against us.

"That's where I feel, if you're going in against a team who are on paper and player-for-player better, you will lose nine out of 10 times.

"But if you build a team who can keep the ball against any opponent... you see that we have the best defensive record away. That's the way we play: we don't give a lot away."

Brighton were certainly much improved despite losing to Manchester United in their FA Cup semi-final on Sunday and they'll need to be to improve their recent league form...

• Brighton are winless in their last nine WSL matches (D3 L6), losing their last three at home by an aggregate score of 12-3.
• Everton have lost just one of their last eight WSL games (W4 D3), a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa in March.
• Brighton have conceded a league-high 50 goals in the WSL so far this season. Meanwhile, Everton's WSL games have seen fewer goals scored than any other side's in 2022-23 (35 – F19 A16).
• Brighton have won three of their last six WSL matches played on Wednesdays (D2 L1), and are unbeaten in all three such matches at home (W2 D1).

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Everton manager Brian Sorensen was impressed with Brighton boss Melissa Phillips' work at London City Lionesses and felt her new side showed "more togetherness" when he was in the stands to watch their narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United.

"They have really good players individually and a good squad," said Sorensen, who sees parallels between Albion's position and Everton's struggles last season.

"It's a lack of consistency that can spiral the wrong way. We see ourselves, of course, as a better team, so we will try to go for the win."

There is just one change to the Brighton side who lost narrowly to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.

Julia Zigiotti Olme is not in the squad so Megan Connolly comes in.

Brighton XI: L Williams, Pattinson, Kullberg, Morse, Fox, Bance, Robinson, Connolly, Sarri, Lee, Terland.

Subs: Walsh, Startup, Green, V Williams, Stott, Visalli, Park, Stefvanovic, Carter.

Brian Sorensen makes two changes to the Everton side who beat Tottenham 2-1 in their last WSL match on 2 April.

Defenders Gabby George and Nathalie Bjorn are not in the squad so Lucy Hope and Megan Finnigan return to the starting XI.

There's a bonus addition to the bench as goalkeeper Emily Ramsey is back from injury.

Everton XI: Brosnan, Veje, Sevecke, Wheeler, Christiansen, Park, Sorensen, Hope, Finnigan, Galli, Snoeijs.

Subs: Ramsey, Bennison, Beever-Jones, Maier, Stenevik, K Holmgaard, Clarke.

Before we get properly stuck into that - and the battle at the bottom - it's time for some team news...

Just three points separate the top four and an Arsenal win tonight would condense things even more.

As if it wasn't tight enough already.

Image source, BBC/Getty Images

What a night of WSL action we've got ahead of us! Just two games but with huge ramifications at either end of the table...

• Brighton v Everton (19:00 BST)
• Manchester United v Arsenal (19:15 BST)

Brighton, in their first league game under new boss Melissa Phillips, can move off the bottom of the table with a win.

Meanwhile, the outcome of Manchester United's titanic clash with Arsenal could go a long way to determining where the title is heading this season.

It could barely be closer at the top.