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A mere two months in the past when the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while his coach berated him over failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained if Rogers' form were a symptom or the reason for the side's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, in contrast, the manager's outburst was decidedly more positive. When the in-form star curled home his second to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide and roared. The team were on their way to ten wins in a row , after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Title Contenders?

This is a rather hard proposition to address. The historical record, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Additionally, they have not been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the victories have piled up.

According to the data, on just two occasions have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a club who have strung together 10 in a row, they seem strangely fragile – yet right now the margins are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy looks like to trade blows with an opponent before hoping their star man to bail them out with some crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

His opener originated from a brilliant finish, arced right inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second was essentially a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opposition managed more efforts and more direct attempts. They have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all except one of those matches.

A statistical correction might be the biggest rival the club have to face as the season progresses. Rogers, almost certainly, will not continue to blasting the football into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, rather than luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the force he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually come back from the treatment room, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the possibility for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. Nobody thought Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine the midfielder as the year closed would be leading a title charge and appearing as an essential player for the national team.

This remarkable period is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. When Rogers positioned himself before the North End at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.