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A mere 60 days ago that the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered while his coach admonished him for missing a through-ball. At that point, with the team endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained if his displays were a sign or the reason for Villa's more general malaise.

“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 entirely much more joyous. After the England international drilled in his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss tore off his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. The team marched on to ten wins in a row and despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, are somehow just three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains an exceptionally difficult proposition to resolve. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the victories have stacked up.

According to the data, in only two games have Villa posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team who have strung together ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy looks like to engage in a shootout with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to save the day with some clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and once more when facing United.

The initial strike came from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

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

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opponents had a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean may well be the most significant challenge the club will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, will not continue to drilling the football into the top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality whereby, instead of luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still find their top level.

• The main striker might resume finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent might become the player he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought the midfielder now would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a crucial Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner faced the North End when the game ended orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.