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A mere eight weeks in the past when Morgan Rogers stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager admonished him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as Villa went six without a win, it wasn't clear whether his displays were a symptom or the source of the side's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the touchline reaction proved to be much more joyous. As the in-form star drilled in his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician discarded his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club continued to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning any of their first six fixtures, find themselves a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?

This is a particularly tough question to resolve. History, the traditional standing of this institution, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been completely commanding during this run, despite the fact the wins have piled up.

According to the data, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a club who have strung together ten consecutive victories, Villa seem weirdly vulnerable – yet currently the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent before hoping Rogers to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and it happened when facing United.

The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, curled right inside the post from a wide position. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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?

Logic says not. Against United, the opposition managed more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those matches.

A reversion to average might be the biggest rival Villa have to face in the near future. Their key man, almost certainly, will not continue to blasting the ball into the net's top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Could it be a different scenario in which, instead of luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the performer he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable backline.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, no one envisioned the young forward now would be leading a hunt for the title and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

The current run must be cherished for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the hero faced the Villa faithful after the match orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.