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It was two months prior that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager berated him for missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as the club went six without a win, the question was if his performances were a symptom or the reason for the team's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, though, the manager's outburst was far more favourable. As the England international drilled in his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, Emery ripped off his jacket, opened his arms and roared. Villa continued to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six games, are somehow only three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a particularly tough proposition to resolve. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they have not been wholly dominant in many games, even as the positive results have accumulated.

As per Opta, twice all season have Villa had an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a club who have just won a ten-match winning streak, Villa appear weirdly vulnerable – yet currently the margins are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their star man to bail them out with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and once more versus United.

His opener originated from a superb shot, curled right inside the post from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slight scruffier version of the opener capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition registered more shots and more shots on target. The team has secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those games.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival Villa have to face as the season progresses. The forward, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality in which, rather than luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker might resume scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the player he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, fortifying an occasionally vulnerable defence.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Villa would sit third at Christmas. And certainly back in October, nobody thought the midfielder now would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title and appearing as a crucial England player.

This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. When the hero faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.