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It was eight weeks prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager scolded him over not reading a through-ball. At that point, as Villa went six without a win, doubts remained whether his displays 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.”

On Sunday, though, the manager's outburst was entirely far more favourable. After the in-form star drilled in his brace-sealing goal to restore Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and roared. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning their initial half-dozen games, are somehow only three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Title Contenders?

It remains a rather hard proposition to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, argues against it. Furthermore, they've rarely been entirely convincing in many games, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa had an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a team which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, they appear curiously susceptible – but at the moment the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic looks like to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their star man to bail them out with some precise efforts. This was the case away to Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and it happened versus the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from a superb shot, arced just inside the goal frame from a wide position. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opponents managed more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those matches.

Regression to the mean could be the greatest opponent Villa have to face in the near future. The forward, surely, will not continue to drilling the ball into the net's top corner week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path in which, instead of results trending towards performances, 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 may rediscover the force he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, fortifying an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like an essential England player.

The current run must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. As the hero positioned himself before the Villa faithful after the match orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.