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Just 60 days prior that the Villa attacker was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained if his displays were an indicator or the reason of Villa's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, in contrast, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. When the England international curled home his brace-sealing goal to reclaim Villa's lead, Emery ripped off his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to a 10th successive win and after failing to win any of their first six matches, find themselves only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Title Contenders?

This is an exceptionally difficult question to answer. Past precedent, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Moreover, their performances haven't been entirely convincing in many games, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

Per the data, in only two games has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a team which has just won a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem strangely fragile – but at the moment the margins are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on their talisman to bail them out with some crisp finishes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and again when facing United.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled just inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced 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?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opponents had more shots and more shots on target. The team has secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all except one of those matches.

Regression to the mean might be the biggest rival Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot keep on drilling the ball into the net's top corner indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality where, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• The main striker might resume adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the player he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

However, this is a surprise. Few believed the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder now would be leading a title charge while looking like a crucial Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended conducting the cheers, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.