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It was 60 days prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager admonished him for failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his displays were a symptom or the reason for the side's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, though, the touchline reaction was much more joyous. When the in-form star swept in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, the boss tore off his jacket, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team continued to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning any of their first six fixtures, now sit only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to address. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Moreover, they have not been entirely convincing this season, even as the positive results have piled up.

As per Opta, twice all season has the team had an expected goals figure notably superior than the other team. For a club who have just won 10 in a row, Villa look curiously susceptible – but currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent before hoping Rogers to bail them out with two crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and it happened against Manchester United.

The initial strike originated from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed more shots and more shots on target. Villa have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean could be the biggest rival the club must confront as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot maintain drilling his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players may yet rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

However, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Aston Villa would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder now would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak should be enjoyed for the very reason that it appears so improbable. When the match-winner faced the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.