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It was two months in the past when the young forward found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his displays were an indicator or a cause for Villa's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the sideline response proved to be decidedly more positive. After the England international curled home his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, Emery ripped off his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team continued to ten wins in a row and having failed to win their opening six games, find themselves a mere three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

This is an exceptionally difficult proposition to address. Past precedent, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

According to Opta, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a side that have just won ten consecutive victories, they seem strangely fragile – but right now the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy looks like to trade blows with rivals before hoping their talisman to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and again versus United.

His opener originated from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

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

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opposition registered a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival they must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot keep on drilling the ball into the top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality whereby, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume finding the net regularly.
• The winger could transform into the force he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt earlier this season, nobody thought the midfielder by the end of the year would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the home supporters after the match leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These spells are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.