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It was 60 days prior that the Villa attacker stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager admonished him over missing a pass in behind. Back then, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the reason of Villa's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, though, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. As the England international drilled in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the boss discarded his coat, spread his arms and roared. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, now sit a mere three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a particularly tough query to address. History, the perceived status of the club, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, even as the victories have piled up.

As per the data, twice all season has the team registered an xG significantly higher than the other team. For a team who have put together ten consecutive victories, they appear weirdly vulnerable – however at the moment the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach seems to be to exchange chances with rivals before hoping their star man to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal came from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the upright from a wide position. The follow-up goal was essentially a somewhat messier replica of goal number one 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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. They have won each of their last eight by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all but one of those games.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent the club have to face as the season progresses. Rogers, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the ball into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Could it be another reality in which, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures could still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the force he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky backline.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, this is a surprise. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be leading a title charge and appearing as an essential England player.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it seems so surreal. When Rogers positioned himself before the Villa faithful when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and must be appreciated.