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A mere two months in the past when Morgan Rogers found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused as Unai Emery scolded him over not reading a penetrating pass. Back then, as Villa went six without a win, doubts remained whether his displays were a symptom or a cause 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 far more favourable. After the in-form star swept in his second to restore his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and roared. The team continued to a 10th successive win , despite not winning any of their first six matches, are somehow just three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Challengers?

That’s a rather hard query to address. History, the perceived status of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, their performances haven't been entirely convincing during this run, while the wins have piled up.

According to Opta, in only two games has the side had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club that have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans seem weirdly vulnerable – however currently the margins are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent and wait for Rogers to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. This was the case against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again when facing Manchester United.

His opener stemmed from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, the opponents had more shots and more direct attempts. The team has secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the most significant challenge the club have to face in the near future. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot keep on blasting the ball into the top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is another reality in which, rather than luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures may yet rediscover their best form.

• The main striker may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he was during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.

Savoring the Moment

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable the team would sit third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, no one envisioned the midfielder as the year closed would be leading a title charge while looking like a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the hero stood in front of the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.