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It was eight weeks prior when Morgan Rogers found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery scolded him over missing a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were an indicator or the source for the side's broader struggles.

“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 drilled in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win their initial half-dozen games, find themselves just three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains an exceptionally difficult query to address. History, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Additionally, they have not been entirely convincing in many games, while the positive results have stacked up.

As per Opta, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a side who have put together 10 in a row, they seem curiously susceptible – but right now the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with rivals and wait for their star man to bail them out with a couple of crisp finishes. This was the case against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened when facing United.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one 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?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opponents had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those games.

A reversion to average might be the biggest rival Villa have to face as the season progresses. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on drilling the ball into the top corner indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins could start scoring again.
• The attacking talent could transform into the force he was in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, bolstering a sometimes shaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.

Savoring the Moment

However, this is a surprise. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt back in October, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be spearheading a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial England player.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it seems so surreal. As the match-winner positioned himself before the North End after the match leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.