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It was 60 days in the past when the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused as the Villa manager scolded him over failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were a sign or the source for Villa's more general malaise.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

On Sunday, however, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. After Rogers curled home his second to restore his side's advantage, Emery discarded his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win their initial half-dozen fixtures, now sit only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Are They Serious Hopefuls?

It remains a particularly tough question to answer. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they have not been entirely convincing this season, while the positive results have stacked up.

Per the data, on just two occasions have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club which has put together 10 in a row, they appear strangely fragile – yet right now the margins are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on their star man to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. This was the case away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again versus the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from a superb shot, arced just inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition had more shots and more shots on target. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those games.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent Villa will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot maintain drilling his shots into the top corner week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players could still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he showed during his peak.
• The defensive duo are due to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a sometimes shaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would sit in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine the midfielder now would be leading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As Rogers faced the North End at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and should be relished.