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It was eight weeks prior that Morgan Rogers found himself on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery admonished him over missing a pass in behind. During that period, with the team endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his performances were a symptom or a cause for the side's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the manager's outburst was much more joyous. After the in-form star curled home his second to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss tore off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club were on their way to a 10th successive win , after failing to win their opening six matches, now sit only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?

This is an exceptionally difficult proposition to answer. The historical record, the perceived status of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding this season, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

As per the data, on just two occasions have Villa posted an xG significantly higher than their opponents. For a side who have strung together a ten-match winning streak, they seem weirdly vulnerable – however currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach looks like to engage in a shootout with an opponent and wait for Rogers to rescue them with some clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened when facing the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

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

Is It Sustainable?

Logic says not. Against United, Manchester United managed more shots and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those fixtures.

A reversion to average may well be the most significant challenge they have to face over the coming weeks. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot maintain blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he was in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defensive unit.

This could contain the seeds for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, no one envisioned Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a title charge and appearing as a vital Three Lions star.

The current run must be cherished precisely because it appears so improbable. When Rogers positioned himself before the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.