Frank Lampard resists title talk but knows intensity of Chelsea demands

As Roman Abramovich racks up his 1,000th game, the Russian’s favourite player, now manager, faces José Mourinho’s Spurs with the owner’s support – but knowing he is hard to satisfy

Sunday’s game against Tottenham will be Roman Abramovich’s 1,000th as Chelsea owner. There probably won’t be a cake. Nor should we expect much in the way of a lavish presentation, given that the supreme leader himself hasn’t been glimpsed at a home game in two and a half years. And yet as Abramovich watches on from afar – presumably from his Moscow palace, surrounded by objets d’art and luxury snacks – he may reflect that this is a curiously appropriate fixture to mark the occasion. It is, after all, a meeting between the two men who have arguably defined his 17 years in English football more than any other. His favourite player, and his favourite manager.

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It says something of Lampard’s resilience – or perhaps his self-regard – that he has shown virtually no ill-effects