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A mere two months prior when the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager scolded him over not reading a penetrating pass. During that period, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, the question was if Rogers' form were a sign or the reason of Villa's wider issues.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

On Sunday, in contrast, the touchline reaction was entirely far more favourable. After Rogers drilled in his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, the boss discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and roared. The team continued to a 10th successive win , despite not winning their opening six matches, now sit only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Title Contenders?

It remains a rather hard query to answer. The historical record, the traditional standing of this institution, argues against it. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant this season, even as the positive results have accumulated.

According to statistical analysis, twice all season has the team had an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a club which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, they look weirdly vulnerable – however right now the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic looks like to trade blows with rivals and wait for Rogers to bail them out with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and once more when facing the Red Devils.

His opener stemmed from a superb shot, bent just inside the upright from a wide position. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed more shots and more efforts on goal. Villa have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those games.

Regression to the mean might be the biggest rival the club have to face in the near future. The forward, almost certainly, cannot keep on blasting his shots into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists a different scenario where, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
• The winger might become the player he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable backline.

This could contain the possibility for a sustained push, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak should be enjoyed exactly since it feels so unlikely. As the hero faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.