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A mere 60 days in the past that Morgan Rogers was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered while his coach scolded him for missing a through-ball. During that period, as the club endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained if his performances were a symptom or a cause for the team's wider issues.

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

On Sunday, however, the touchline reaction was entirely decidedly more positive. After the England international curled home his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his jacket, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win their initial half-dozen fixtures, now sit a mere three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?

This is an exceptionally difficult query to resolve. Past precedent, the perceived status of Villa, argues against it. Furthermore, they have not been completely commanding during this run, even as the wins have piled up.

As per the data, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team which has strung together ten consecutive victories, the Villans look strangely fragile – but at the moment the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach appears to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and wait for their star man to bail them out with two crisp finishes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened versus United.

The initial strike stemmed from a superb shot, curled just inside the post from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

“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?

Common sense dictates no. Against United, the opponents registered a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have won each of their last eight by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all but one of those games.

A reversion to average might be the greatest opponent they must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot keep on blasting the ball into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, rather than luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the player he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are due to come back from the treatment room, fortifying a sometimes shaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be at the forefront of a title charge while looking like a crucial player for the national team.

The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As Rogers faced the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.