'I love seeing Arsenal and Man Utd collapse – my ties to Chelsea make it all the sweeter'

Former Chelsea star has admitted that he relishes seeing and falter.

Both the Gunners and the Red Devils have had a shaky start to the season, with Mikel Arteta's team now in fourth place in the table after handed the north London side their second loss of the season on Saturday. Despite being heavily favoured to win the title this season, Arsenal are currently without a win in their last three league matches.

On the other hand, United fans might be feeling more optimistic after the dismissal of Erik ten Hag and. However, they're currently languishing in 13th place in the table with just three league victories this season – and it could get worse against Chelsea this afternoon.

Despite the struggles of his old adversaries, Bridge has little sympathy for the two clubs. Adding insult to injury for Gunners' supporters, the former England defender also admitted he took pleasure from Arsenal's late collapses in their last two title challenges.

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Arteta have been unable to topple Pep Guardiola's supremacy at the top of the Premier League after losing out in consecutive title races to . And Bridge gets a major kick out of seeing his old rivals stutter.

"The thing I love about Arsenal is seeing them slip up right at the end," Bridge told David Seaman on the podcast, , brought to you by .

"I'd love to see Man Utd slip up more," he added. "They're the only team, from my age group, where they just dominated. I don't hate them hate's a big word, isn't it? But also Arsenal have dominated a lot, so I do like seeing them slip up right at the end."

Arsenal led for most of the 2022/2023 season but crumbled in the final stretch, winning just four in the run-in. The collapse saw them finish second to Manchester City, setting an unwanted record for the most days spent at the top without clinching the title.

The following season, the Gunners were runners-up again and missed out on the top spot by a mere two points to City. Now, 21 years since their last league triumph, they are seven points behind current leaders , with only ten matches played, casting doubt over their championship credentials early in the season.

United, on the other hand, haven't secured a league title since 2013. They ended the previous season in eighth place under Ten Hag but did capture the and League Cup in back-to-back seasons.

Bridge's enduring resentment for 's city rivals could be traced back to his crowning moment in a Blues' jersey. His solitary goal for the west London outfit was netted against Arsenal in the quarter-final during the 2003/2004 season.

The left-back scored an unforgettable winning goal in the 88th minute, propelling the Blues into the semi-finals and putting an end to an 18-match winless streak against Arsene Wenger's side. Bridge moved to Chelsea in July 2003 for £7million from , with Graeme Le Saux moving in the opposite direction.

Under the management of Claudio Ranieri, , Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, he made 87 appearances for the Blues before being loaned to in 2006. He eventually bid farewell to Chelsea for Manchester City on a permanent basis in 2009.

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