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A mere eight weeks prior when the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, looking confused while his coach admonished him over missing a through-ball. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his performances were a sign or the source for the side's more general malaise.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was decidedly more positive. After Rogers curled home his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician tore off his jacket, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, now sit a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Title Contenders?

It remains a particularly tough question to resolve. The historical record, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant this season, despite the fact the wins have accumulated.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the side had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side who have just won ten consecutive victories, Villa seem weirdly vulnerable – however right now the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping their star man to save the day with some precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, bent right inside the upright from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as 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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, Manchester United managed more shots and more shots on target. The team has won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the most significant challenge the club will encounter in the near future. Rogers, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be another reality where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players may yet rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the performer he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

However, this is a surprise. Few believed Aston Villa would sit in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine Rogers now would be leading a title charge while looking like an essential player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. As the hero positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.