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Just two months prior that Morgan Rogers stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club went six without a win, the question was whether his displays were a sign or the source of Villa's wider issues.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

On Sunday, though, the touchline reaction was entirely far more favourable. As the England international swept in his brace-sealing goal to reinstate Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician tore off his coat, opened his arms and roared. The team continued to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win any of their first six fixtures, now sit a mere three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Hopefuls?

That’s an exceptionally difficult proposition to resolve. History, the traditional standing of this institution, argues against it. Furthermore, they have not been entirely convincing this season, even as the wins have stacked up.

Per the data, in only two games has the team posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a side who have put together a ten-match winning streak, they appear curiously susceptible – however right now the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent before hoping their star man to bail them out with two clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened when facing United.

Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, curled precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. For his second proved to be a slight scruffier version of his first as he pounced on a setup by his strike partner.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. The team has secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction could be the biggest rival Villa must confront as the season progresses. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on drilling the ball into the top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho might become the player he resembled during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually come back from the treatment room, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, this is a surprise. Nobody thought the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt 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 Three Lions star.

The current run should be enjoyed exactly since it seems so surreal. As the match-winner stood in front of the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and must be appreciated.