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It was 60 days in the past when Morgan Rogers found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as his coach scolded him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether his performances were a sign or a cause 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, however, the manager's outburst was entirely decidedly more positive. When Rogers curled home his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa continued to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six games, find themselves only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Challengers?

This is a particularly tough question to resolve. History, a general sense of this institution, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been completely commanding during this run, even as the victories have accumulated.

As per statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa registered an expected goals figure notably superior than the opposition. For a side that have strung together 10 in a row, Villa look curiously susceptible – however at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach looks like to engage in a shootout with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to save the day with two clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against United.

The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, arced just inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents had more shots and more shots on target. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the most significant challenge the club must confront over the coming weeks. Rogers, surely, cannot keep on blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists an alternative path in which, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the performer he was during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a sometimes shaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. Few believed Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, no one envisioned Rogers now would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit and appearing as a vital Three Lions star.

The current run should be enjoyed exactly since it appears so improbable. When the match-winner positioned himself before the North End when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.