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Just eight weeks ago when the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager scolded him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as the club failed to win in six, it wasn't clear whether his displays were a symptom or a cause for Villa's broader struggles.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

In the latest match, though, the manager's outburst was far more favourable. When Rogers swept in his second to restore his side's advantage, Emery ripped off his coat, spread his arms and roared. The Birmingham club marched on to ten wins in a row , despite not winning any of their first six matches, find themselves just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

That’s a rather hard query to answer. The historical record, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Additionally, they've rarely been entirely convincing in many games, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

According to Opta, twice all season has the side posted an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a club who have strung together ten consecutive victories, the Villans look strangely fragile – yet at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach looks like to engage in a shootout with rivals and wait for Rogers to rescue them with some clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and it happened versus United.

His opener came from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Is It Sustainable?

Logic says not. During the latest victory, the opposition had more shots and more shots on target. Villa have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those games.

Regression to the mean might be the greatest opponent Villa will encounter in the near future. The forward, surely, cannot maintain drilling the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality in which, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players may yet return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward could start adding to his goal tally.
• The winger could transform into the force he showed in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Aston Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And certainly earlier this season, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a title charge while looking like a vital player for the national team.

This winning streak should be enjoyed precisely because it appears so improbable. As the match-winner positioned himself before the North End at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. These spells do not happen often and should be relished.