Arsenal vs Chelsea: Jose Mourinho threatened to 'break Arsene Wenger's face' after Juan Mata row

The pair once engaged in a shoving match on the touchline in 2014

After calling Arsene Wenger a “voyeur” and a “specialist in failure” it is clear that Jose Mourinho does not like his Arsenal counterpart, but their relationship is even more explosive away from the microphones and cameras.

It got so heated that Mourinho wanted to physically fight the Frenchman, once said he would find Wenger away from football and “break his face”.

The pair have clashed ever since Mourinho entered English football but the vitriol boiled over upon the Manchester United boss’ return to Chelsea in 2013.

Relations deteriorated so much that Mourinho wanted to take physical action after Wenger’s comments about Chelsea selling Juan Mata to Manchester United for £37m in January 2014.

Wenger said he was surprised at the move and claimed it was unfair as Chelsea had already played United twice and therefore couldn’t be hurt by Mata, whereas Arsenal still had to play the Red Devils.

That led to the infamous “specialist in failure” comments and in a new book, it is revealed that that was not all the Portuguese had to say on Wenger.

The pair needed to be separated in October 2014 (Getty Images)

Rob Beasley, author of Jose Mourinho Up Close and Personal, alleges he told him: “When Mr Wenger criticises Chelsea and Man United over the deal with Mata… I will find him one day outside a football pitch and I will break his face.”

Mourinho did break Wenger a month later, only it was on the football pitch, with Chelsea beating Arsenal 6-0 at Stamford Bridge to spoil the Frenchman’s 1,000^th game as manager.

Things got even worse for the pair in October 2014 when Chelsea beat their London rivals 2-0 but it is best remembered for an angry shoving match between the two managers on the touchline.

On the confrontation, Beasley writes Mourinho said: “I told him, ‘here you do that, you know I can’t react, but one day I will meet you in the street’”.