Soccer/ FA Premiership: The celebrations haven't even started but Chelsea's thoughts are moving on from the Premiership title. Frank Lampard has stated his club's determination to "emulate the monopoly" that Manchester United used to enjoy.

The Old Trafford side could suffer the effect of Stamford Bridge ambition this afternoon. Should United fail to beat Spurs at White Hart Lane in a match with a 12.45 kick-off Chelsea will face Everton at home knowing what they need to retain their title. If United lose, a point will suffice. A draw with Spurs would leave Chelsea seeking a victory. A win for Alex Ferguson's side would mean the title cannot be clinched for a little longer. Even so, Lampard is considering long-term aims.

"We don't want to be a flash in the pan and, hopefully, by winning it a second time in a row we're confirming we're not one-season wonders. We're hungry and we want to go on and do it again, again and again and emulate the monopoly United had. It will not be easy. It's been harder than last season because every place you go to as reigning champions, you find teams are upping their game. They make it difficult and we've had a lot of tight games. But we've pulled through."

By beating Bolton at the Reebok on Saturday, Chelsea capitalised on United's goalless draw with Sunderland the previous night to go nine points clear. "I was waiting for [ Ruud] van Nistelrooy to bundle one in but it didn't happen," Lampard said. At the Reebok he was to set a scoring record for a Premiership midfielder with his 15th league goal of the season. He needs one more for 20 in all competitions, which would be a new personal best.

Jose Mourinho is monitoring his own statistics. Ferguson is the only manager to retain the Premiership, but the Portuguese should join him soon. Though Mourinho points out there would be no comparison with Ferguson's eight league titles at United, he does relish an impending achievement of his own.

"If I win it, it will be the second in England and fourth consecutive in two different countries," said the former Porto manager. "It's a great situation for me but I must be ready also for the other side of the coin, because one day I will lose a championship."

United have not taken the title since 2003 and Mourinho implies that he would resign if he felt such a drought approaching.

The habit of celebration is also being instilled in the younger generation. "My family never goes to football," said Mourinho. "They only go when we receive the [ trophy]. My kid [ Jose junior] is six, you can imagine since he was born he's always had a trophy. And he's been asking me for a couple of weeks, 'When's the party?' Imagine next season or in two seasons' time, [ if there's] no cup."

He denied the ambitions imposed stress and argued it was more wearing for United to play Sunderland and then be preoccupied with Chelsea's fortunes at Bolton. A maximum of four points will establish Mourinho's side as champion

Alan Curbishley is due to have a second interview with the Football Association this week, which shows the process to find a successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager is not yet complete. Middlesbrough's manager Steve McClaren remains in pole position but there is some way to go given that Felipe Scolari is still in consideration despite reports he should be discounted.

Scolari and Curbishley have both been spoken to once by the FA's committee, and McClaren, Martin O'Neill and Bolton's Sam Allardyce have had second meetings. Curbishley said after Charlton's FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Middlesbrough on Wednesday he had not heard anything of a second interview and there was disappointment and frustration in his tone at the uncertainty caused to Charlton, where he has been manager or joint manager for 15 years.

Charlton host Portsmouth in the Premiership today and Curbishley could be seen again by the FA as early as tomorrow. There had been widespread speculation within football that Wednesday would bring an announcement on Eriksson's successor but it appears the process may be drawn out until next week.

Newcastle United are another club affected by the England job. They have had a managerial vacancy since the dismissal of Graeme Souness and would like O'Neill to fill it.

Potentially disturbing to Newcastle is the prospect, raised locally at the weekend, that Middlesbrough would approach O'Neill should McClaren be the FA's choice. O'Neill is known to have met Middlesbrough's chairman Steve Gibson recently at a social gathering and Gibson's admiration for O'Neill's work at Leicester City and Celtic would be understandable.

But all the manoeuvring is hypothetical until the FA comes to a conclusion.

• Guardian Service

TODAY'S FIXTURES

Charlton v Portsmouth 3.0

Chelsea v Everton 3.0

Middlesbrough v West Ham 3.0

Sunderland v Newcastle 3.0

Tottenham v Manchester Utd 12.45

West Brom v Bolton 8.0