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Just eight weeks in the past when Morgan Rogers was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager scolded him for not reading a through-ball. During that period, with the team failed to win in six, the question was whether Rogers' form were a sign or a cause of 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, though, the manager's outburst proved to be far more favourable. After Rogers swept in his second strike to reclaim the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their initial half-dozen matches, find themselves only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard query to address. History, a general sense of this institution, suggests not. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding during this run, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

As per the data, twice all season has the side had an xG significantly higher than the other team. For a team who have just won 10 in a row, Villa look curiously susceptible – yet currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition before hoping their talisman to bail them out with two clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

His opener originated from a brilliant finish, bent just inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition had more efforts and more direct attempts. They have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those matches.

A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent the club will encounter in the near future. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot maintain blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is another reality whereby, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the force he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the possibility of a title challenge, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would sit third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought the midfielder now would be leading a title charge and appearing as a vital Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured precisely because it appears so improbable. As Rogers faced the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.