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A mere two months in the past that the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery berated him over not reading a through-ball. Back then, as Villa went six without a win, doubts remained if his displays were an indicator or the source of the side's more general malaise.

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

This weekend, though, the sideline response was much more joyous. When Rogers swept in his second to reclaim Villa's lead, Emery tore off his jacket, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win and having failed to win any of their first six matches, find themselves just three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Serious Challengers?

It remains an exceptionally difficult query to answer. Past precedent, the traditional standing of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, their performances haven't been entirely convincing this season, despite the fact the positive results have piled up.

Per the data, in only two games have Villa had an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a side who have put together 10 in a row, the Villans seem weirdly vulnerable – however currently the margins are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with rivals and then rely on Rogers to save the day with two crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened versus the Red Devils.

His opener originated from a superb shot, arced just inside the post from a wide position. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“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.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opposition managed more efforts and more direct attempts. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those games.

A statistical correction may well be the biggest rival the club have to face in the near future. Rogers, surely, cannot maintain blasting the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Could it be an alternative path whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• The main striker could start scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the player he was in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, no one envisioned the midfielder now would be leading a hunt for the title while looking like an essential player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As Rogers stood in front of the home supporters at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.