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Just two months prior that Morgan Rogers was standing on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager admonished him over failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, it wasn't clear whether his performances were a symptom or the source of the team's wider issues.

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

This weekend, however, the sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. When the England international drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. The team were on their way to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six fixtures, now sit just three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard question to address. The historical record, the perceived status of Villa, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant this season, even as the positive results have stacked up.

Per the data, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a team who have strung together ten consecutive victories, they appear weirdly vulnerable – but currently the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with the opposition before hoping their star man to rescue them with some clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it happened in London, and once more against the Red Devils.

The initial strike stemmed from a brilliant finish, bent precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal proved to be a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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, Manchester United registered a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has won each of their last eight by just one goal. They have allowed goals in all but one of those games.

A statistical correction may well be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. Rogers, almost certainly, will not continue to drilling his shots into the net's top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the player he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the seeds for a sustained push, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. Few believed Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be at the forefront of a title charge while looking like an essential Three Lions star.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it appears so improbable. When the match-winner positioned himself before the North End at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.