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It was eight weeks ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery admonished him over missing a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team went six without a win, the question was if his displays were an indicator or a cause for the side's wider issues.

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

In the latest match, however, the sideline response was far more favourable. When the England international drilled in his second to reinstate Villa's lead, Emery ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club were on their way to a 10th successive win and despite not winning their opening six matches, are somehow a mere three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?

That’s a particularly tough proposition to address. History, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, while the wins have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, twice all season has the team registered an xG notably superior than the other team. For a team that have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear weirdly vulnerable – however currently the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic looks like to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their talisman to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. This was the case against Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and once more when facing Manchester United.

His opener came from an exquisite effort, bent right inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a slight scruffier version of goal number one capitalizing 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opposition had more efforts and more shots on target. They have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent the club must confront in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, will not continue to drilling his shots into the net's top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins might resume scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs are set to return from injury, fortifying a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And certainly back in October, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be leading a championship pursuit while looking like a vital player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When the hero faced the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.