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A mere two months prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery admonished him for failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or a cause for the team's broader struggles.

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

In the latest match, however, the manager's outburst proved to be much more joyous. As the in-form star drilled in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the boss ripped off his coat, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win any of their first six matches, now sit a mere three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Challengers?

It remains a rather hard question to resolve. The historical record, the perceived status of the club, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, while the wins have piled up.

Per Opta, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a team which has put together ten consecutive victories, they seem weirdly vulnerable – but right now the margins are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to rescue them with two clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and again when facing the Red Devils.

The initial strike originated from a superb shot, arced just inside the goal frame from a wide position. 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

A statistical correction may well be the greatest opponent they will encounter as the season progresses. Rogers, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is another reality whereby, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The winger may rediscover the player he was during his peak.
• The defensive duo are due to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought the team would sit in a Champions League place in December. And certainly earlier this season, no one envisioned the young forward now would be at the forefront of a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.

The current run should be enjoyed exactly since it appears so improbable. As the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters after the match orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are rare in football and must be appreciated.