News: Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon is set to contact the Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood to try to stem the flow of vitriol between the two clubs.

Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger was incensed by his Stamford Bridge counterpart Jose Mourinho's comment that he resembled a "voyeur" with his regular opinions on the champions. In response, the Gunners' manager labelled Mourinho "out of order", "disrespectful" and "stupid", while hinting legal action could follow. But Chelsea yesterday rowed back from escalating the dispute.

Kenyon will say Mourinho's remark was more of an observation about Wenger's perceived fixation with his rivals than a malicious insult. The English Football Association asked both clubs to cool matters and formal disciplinary action isn't expected.

The moves at Stamford Bridge followed Mourinho's acceptance on Tuesday night he had invited Wenger's attack, and that he would not react to this retaliation. "First of all if my comments were very strong, I have to accept his next comments will be very strong," said Mourinho. "But it is time to stop. If (Wenger) doesn't stop, we are there for a fight."

Mourinho's caveat was carefully chosen. He had shrugged off Wenger's implied legal threat with the revelation on Tuesday Chelsea have evidence to back his allegation against Wenger - a dossier of press cuttings that Mourinho claimed runs to 120 pages. Chelsea are not using the dossier to mount any lawsuit of their own. They record that antipathy had arisen early in Roman Abramovich's reign, when Arsenal's vice-chairman David Dein accused him of having "parked his Russian tanks on our lawn and is firing £50 notes at us".

Relations soured further when Dein insisted on reporting Chelsea to the Premier League for their illegal approach to Arsenal's Ashley Cole, who was also found guilty of a similar offence. Chelsea took particular exception to Wenger's claim that Abramovich's billions effectively were "financial doping" that skewed the fairness of the Premiership. Chelsea feel Wenger is moralising - he intimated on Tuesday that Abramovich's presence was jeopardising the English game's "values" - and being hypocritical. Yet, Mourinho has also sniped at Arsenal.

But both sides appear willing to grasp the olive branch. "I think it is best (if) people don't talk about individuals," said Hill-Wood. "I don't think I should make comments about other chairmen: little personal jibes are irrelevant . . . I am sure that all this will blow over."

Not everyone at the top level of both clubs would say there is no animosity - Dein and Kenyon are committed to mutual dislike - but Hill-Wood's comments are broadly true.