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It was eight weeks prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were an indicator or the reason for the team's more general malaise.

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

This weekend, though, the manager's outburst proved to be decidedly more positive. After Rogers drilled in his second to restore the lead for Villa, the boss tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The team marched on to a 10th successive win , having failed to win any of their first six games, find themselves a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to address. The historical record, the perceived status of this institution, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

Per Opta, twice all season has the team posted an expected goals figure notably superior than their opponents. For a side that have strung together ten consecutive victories, the Villans look strangely fragile – however right now the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy appears to be to exchange chances with rivals and wait for their talisman to save the day with two clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened against Manchester United.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opponents registered more efforts and more direct attempts. They have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all except one of those games.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent the club must confront over the coming weeks. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on blasting the football into the top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be another reality where, rather than luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs might still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he showed in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the potential of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential England player.

The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As the match-winner faced the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods do not happen often and must be appreciated.