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A mere eight weeks ago that the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while the Villa manager scolded him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his displays were an indicator or the reason for the side's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, however, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. After the in-form star curled home his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club continued to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning their opening six fixtures, find themselves just three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Title Contenders?

It remains a rather hard proposition to resolve. History, a general sense of this institution, argues against it. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, even as the wins have piled up.

Per statistical analysis, in only two games has the side posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team which has put together 10 in a row, the Villans seem weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy seems to be to engage in a shootout with rivals and then rely on their talisman to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.

The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, bent precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second was essentially a somewhat messier replica of goal number one as he pounced on a setup by his strike partner.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opposition managed more shots and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival they will encounter in the near future. The forward, surely, cannot keep on blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, rather than luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a title challenge, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Aston Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And certainly earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. As the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters after the match orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.