It was one of the most absurd moments in recent English Premier League history.

Arsene Wenger, 64, advancing on Jose Mourinho, 51, on the sidelines of the Chelsea vs Arsenal match yesterday — and shoving his rival manager in the midst of Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Wenger’s Arsenal.

It was silly on a number of levels.

–Wenger is 64. We mentioned that, right? When was the last time you saw a 64-year-old man, who is more willowy than beefy, give a good shove to a man 13 years his junior?

–When Mourinho got pushed, he seemed to revert, for about half a second, to his playing days: It seemed as if he might collapse in a heap, hoping for a yellow card. Or maybe a red, if he really sold it hard. Then he seemed to recall he no longer is a player, and managed to stay on his feet. Good decision. Taking a dive would have been embarrassing.

–Look at the people in the background of the video. Half of them are smiling. It’s like they are amused by the whole of it. An old guy being pushed by an even older guy.

Wenger later said if he had really meant to give Mourinho a push “he would have known it”. So, trash-talking, on top of it.

These two have some history, as you might expect — and which our correspondent, Richard Jolly, had written about in the Sunday section.

Arsenal was a perennial Premier League title contender when Mourinho took over Chelsea (for the first time) ahead of the 2004-05 season, just as Roman Abramovich was pouring money into the club.

Arsenal had won three of the previous seven league titles. Then Chelsea won the next two — and Arsenal hasn’t won a league title since.

Wenger has never beaten Mourinho, not in 12 tries. Last year, when Chelsea was the home team, the final was 6-0.

They also exchange insults, these two, from time to time. Most recently, Wenger suggested that Mourinho’s relentless poor-mouthing of his own side suggested a fear of success … to which Mourinho responded by describing Wenger as “a specialist in failure”.

(Which is a riff on the immodest Mourinho calling himself “the Special One” during his first Chelsea run. And also a very tart retort.)

A trigger point was involved, in Wenger’s approach and shove. A few seconds earlier, one of Mourinho’s players, Gary Cahill, had made a very ugly tackle on Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. Part of what Mourinho’s Chelsea likes to do against Arsenal. Or, well, anyone — rough them up, score a goal, park the bus.

Cahill got a yellow card. Arsene got his dander up. Mourinho got punked, a little, by the old guy.

But Chelsea and Mourinho got the three points, and lead Arsenal by nine points.

Their meeting at Arsenal later this season may be equally unfriendly, but it won’t mean anything — not with Chelsea already disappearing over the horizon.