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A mere 60 days in the past when Morgan Rogers found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while Unai Emery scolded him for not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear if Rogers' form were an indicator or the source of the team's wider issues.

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

This weekend, in contrast, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. When the in-form star drilled in his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, Emery ripped off his winter coat, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club were on their way to ten wins in a row and after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?

It remains a particularly tough question to address. History, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, their performances haven't been entirely convincing during this run, even as the victories have stacked up.

As per the data, twice all season have Villa registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a team that have strung together 10 in a row, they look curiously susceptible – but currently the margins are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on their star man to rescue them with some crisp finishes. This was the case away to Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and once more when facing Manchester United.

His opener came from a superb shot, arced just inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. For his second proved to be a slight scruffier version of his first as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

“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?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition had more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent the club have to face as the season progresses. The forward, surely, will not continue to blasting his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is an alternative path whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The winger may rediscover the player he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the possibility for a sustained push, but they surely cannot keep relying on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, no one envisioned Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. When the match-winner positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.