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It was eight weeks in the past when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery scolded him over missing a through-ball. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were a symptom or the reason of the side's broader struggles.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

This weekend, however, the manager's outburst proved to be much more joyous. When the in-form star swept in his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Are They Serious Challengers?

This is an exceptionally difficult proposition to resolve. History, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been completely commanding during this run, despite the fact the positive results have piled up.

Per statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a side who have strung together ten consecutive victories, Villa look weirdly vulnerable – yet currently the fine lines are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach seems to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and then rely on their star man to save the day with some crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and again versus United.

The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, curled precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slight scruffier version of the opener as he seized on a setup by his strike partner.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, the opponents had more efforts and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average could be the biggest rival they have to face in the near future. Their key man, surely, will not continue to drilling the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is a different scenario where, instead of results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The winger may rediscover the force he showed in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs are due to return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And certainly earlier this season, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as an essential England player.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it appears so improbable. When Rogers stood in front of the home supporters after the match leading the celebrations, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.