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Just eight weeks in the past when Morgan Rogers found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while Unai Emery berated him over missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were a symptom or the source of the side's more general malaise.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

On Sunday, however, the manager's outburst was much more joyous. After Rogers drilled in his second to reinstate Villa's lead, Emery ripped off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team continued to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

This is a particularly tough question to resolve. Past precedent, the traditional standing of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, they have not been completely commanding in many games, while the positive results have accumulated.

According to Opta, on just two occasions have Villa had an xG significantly higher than their opponents. For a club who have just won ten consecutive victories, they seem curiously susceptible – yet currently the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition before hoping their star man to save the day with two precise efforts. It happened away to Leeds, it transpired in London, and once more against Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from a brilliant finish, bent right inside the upright from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal proved to be a slight scruffier version of the opener capitalizing 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?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. They have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction could be the most significant challenge Villa have to face in the near future. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot maintain thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward could start scoring again.
• The attacking talent could transform into the player he showed during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this is a surprise. Nobody thought the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, nobody thought Rogers as the year closed would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods do not happen often and must be appreciated.