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It was 60 days ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed while the Villa manager scolded him over missing a pass in behind. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if Rogers' form were an indicator or the source for Villa's more general malaise.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

This weekend, however, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. As the in-form star swept in his second to restore Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his jacket, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. The team were on their way to ten wins in a row , despite not winning any of their first six games, find themselves a mere three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

This is a particularly tough query to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, their performances haven't been wholly dominant this season, while the positive results have piled up.

Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a club that have just won 10 in a row, the Villans appear weirdly vulnerable – yet right now the margins are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent and wait for Rogers to bail them out with two clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and once more when facing United.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, arced just inside the upright from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“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. In the recent win, the opposition had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average could be the biggest rival they will encounter over the coming weeks. Their key man, almost certainly, will not continue to blasting his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is another reality where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players might still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed the team would be third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit while looking like an essential England player.

The current run is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. As Rogers positioned himself before the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are rare in football and must be appreciated.