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It was eight weeks in the past when Morgan Rogers was standing on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager scolded him for not reading a through-ball. During that period, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were a sign or a cause 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.”

On Sunday, though, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. After Rogers curled home his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard question to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

Per Opta, on just two occasions has the side posted an expected goals figure notably superior than the other team. For a club that have strung together ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear strangely fragile – but right now the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy looks like to exchange chances with the opposition and wait for their star man to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. This was the case against Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and it happened against United.

The initial strike came from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, Manchester United had more shots and more direct attempts. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent Villa must confront in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing his shots into the top corner week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be an alternative path where, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume scoring again.
• The winger may rediscover the player he showed during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, nobody expected this. Few believed Villa would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like a vital Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the hero faced the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.