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A mere two months ago that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed while the Villa manager admonished him over missing a through-ball. Back then, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained if Rogers' form were a sign or the source for Villa's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, however, the sideline response was entirely far more favourable. As the in-form star swept in his second strike to reinstate Villa's lead, the boss ripped off his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa continued to a 10th successive win , despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, are somehow only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Serious Title Contenders?

This is a particularly tough proposition to answer. History, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been entirely convincing in many games, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

According to Opta, twice all season has the side posted an expected goals figure notably superior than the other team. For a team who have strung together 10 in a row, they look curiously susceptible – however currently the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach appears to be to trade blows with rivals and wait for their star man to rescue them with some precise efforts. This was the case against Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and once more versus United.

His opener stemmed from a superb shot, curled right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a somewhat messier replica of goal number one as he seized 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?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all except one of those games.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival the club must confront over the coming weeks. Their key man, surely, cannot keep on drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins might resume finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent might become the force he resembled during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt earlier this season, no one envisioned the young forward by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a title charge while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

This remarkable period must be cherished exactly since it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.