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A mere 60 days ago that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager berated him for not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a sign or a cause of the team's wider issues.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

This weekend, though, the manager's outburst proved to be far more favourable. After the in-form star drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim Villa's lead, the boss tore off his winter coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Challengers?

This is a rather hard query to address. History, the traditional standing of Villa, argues against it. Additionally, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the wins have accumulated.

Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a side who have just won a ten-match winning streak, the Villans seem strangely fragile – yet currently the margins are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent before hoping their star man to rescue them with some crisp finishes. This occurred away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again versus the Red Devils.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal proved to be a slight scruffier version of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

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

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opponents had more efforts and more direct attempts. The team has won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, will not continue to drilling his shots into the net's top corner week in, week out.

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. Key players could still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho might become the player he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be leading a championship pursuit while looking like a crucial Three Lions star.

This winning streak should be enjoyed precisely because it seems so surreal. When the match-winner positioned himself before the North End after the match leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.