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It was 60 days ago that Morgan Rogers found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as his coach admonished him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as the club went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were an indicator or the reason of the team's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. When the in-form star swept in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the boss ripped off his jacket, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa marched on to a 10th successive win and after failing to win their initial half-dozen fixtures, are somehow a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?

This is a particularly tough question to address. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been entirely convincing during this run, while the victories have stacked up.

As per Opta, on just two occasions have Villa had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team who have strung together a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem strangely fragile – but at the moment the margins are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy looks like to trade blows with an opponent and wait for their talisman to bail them out with a couple of precise efforts. This was the case at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and once more versus United.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the upright from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he seized on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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, Manchester United registered more efforts and more shots on target. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those matches.

A reversion to average could be the greatest opponent Villa must confront in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Could it be a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs might still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the force he showed during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to return from injury, fortifying a periodically leaky backline.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine Rogers by the end of the year would be at the forefront of 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 Rogers stood in front of the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.