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Just two months in the past when Morgan Rogers stood on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while his coach scolded him for missing a through-ball. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the source for the team's more general malaise.

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

In the latest match, however, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. When Rogers swept in his second strike to restore his side's advantage, Emery ripped off his coat, opened his arms and roared. Villa continued to ten wins in a row , despite not winning their opening six fixtures, are somehow only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard query to address. History, the traditional standing of Villa, argues against it. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding during this run, even as the wins have accumulated.

As per the data, twice all season has the side posted an xG notably superior than their opponents. For a club who have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear curiously susceptible – yet at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition before hoping Rogers to bail them out with some clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from a superb shot, arced right inside the goal frame from a wide position. For his second acted as a somewhat messier replica of goal number one 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.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed more efforts and more direct attempts. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those matches.

A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent Villa must confront in the near future. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain drilling the football past despairing goalkeepers forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be an alternative path where, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent could transform into the force he showed in Germany.
• The defensive duo will eventually return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, few could imagine Rogers now would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner stood in front of the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. Such periods do not happen often and must be appreciated.