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A mere 60 days prior that the young forward found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery berated him for missing a pass in behind. Back then, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was whether Rogers' form were a sign or the reason of Villa's more general malaise.

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

This weekend, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. As the England international curled home his brace-sealing goal to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to ten wins in a row , having failed to win their opening six fixtures, find themselves just three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard question to address. History, the traditional standing of Villa, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the positive results have piled up.

As per the data, in only two games has the side had an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a club that have strung together ten consecutive victories, Villa look strangely fragile – yet currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic appears to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent before hoping their talisman to rescue them with two clinical strikes. This was the case against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and it happened versus the Red Devils.

His opener originated from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the upright from a wide position. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he pounced 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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, Manchester United had more efforts and more shots on target. They have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all except one of those matches.

A statistical correction could be the greatest opponent they will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• The winger might become the force he was in Germany.
• The defensive duo will eventually return from injury, strengthening a sometimes shaky defence.

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

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as an essential player for the national team.

This remarkable period should be enjoyed exactly since it feels so unlikely. When the match-winner stood in front of the North End at the final whistle leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.