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A mere eight weeks in the past that the Villa attacker found himself on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, the question was whether his performances were an indicator or a cause of the side's more general malaise.

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

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was far more favourable. After Rogers swept in his second to reinstate Villa's lead, the boss tore off his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club were on their way to ten wins in a row and despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, are somehow only three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Serious Hopefuls?

This is an exceptionally difficult proposition to answer. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Furthermore, their performances haven't been entirely convincing this season, while the victories have piled up.

As per the data, twice all season has the side had an xG notably superior than the other team. For a club which has strung together 10 in a row, Villa appear curiously susceptible – yet currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach looks like to trade blows with rivals and then rely on their star man to bail them out with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and once more against United.

The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, bent right inside the post from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

“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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents registered more shots and more direct attempts. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean could be the greatest opponent Villa have to face in the near future. Their key man, almost certainly, will not continue to thrashing the ball into the top corner indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward could start scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the player he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the young forward now would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. When the hero positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and must be appreciated.