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A mere eight weeks ago that the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as his coach berated him for failing to anticipate a pass in behind. During that period, as Villa went six without a win, the question was if his performances were a symptom or the source of the side's wider issues.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was far more favourable. After Rogers curled home his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician ripped off his coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, now sit just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard query to answer. History, the perceived status of Villa, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

According to the data, on just two occasions have Villa posted an xG notably superior than their opponents. For a side who have put together 10 in a row, they look curiously susceptible – yet at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy looks like to exchange chances with rivals and wait for Rogers to bail them out with two precise efforts. This was the case away to Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“Perhaps Rogers’ right foot is becoming like Arjen Robben’s left: just because you know he’s going to whip the ball into the top corner doesn’t mean you can stop him.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opponents managed more shots and more direct attempts. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter as the season progresses. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot keep on drilling his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is an alternative path whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the force he showed during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually come back from the treatment room, strengthening a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the young forward now would be leading a title charge while looking like a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak should be enjoyed exactly since it appears so improbable. When the hero faced the home supporters at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.