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A mere 60 days prior that Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager scolded him for not reading a through-ball. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear if his performances were a sign or the source of the side's broader struggles.

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

In the latest match, however, the touchline reaction was far more favourable. As the England international curled home his brace-sealing goal to reclaim the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win and despite not winning their opening six matches, find themselves a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to answer. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, while the positive results have accumulated.

As per Opta, twice all season has the team had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club that have put together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans look strangely fragile – yet currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with rivals and wait for Rogers to bail them out with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and it happened versus the Red Devils.

His opener stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal was essentially a slight scruffier version of goal number one 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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, Manchester United registered a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have won each of their last eight by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

A statistical correction might be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing his shots into the top corner indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be another reality whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The winger could transform into the force he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would occupy third at Christmas. And without a doubt earlier this season, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial England player.

The current run must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner positioned himself before the North End after the match leading the celebrations, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and should be relished.