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A mere eight weeks in the past that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, looking confused as his coach berated him for not reading a through-ball. During that period, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear if Rogers' form were a symptom or the source for Villa's wider issues.

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

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely far more favourable. As the in-form star swept in his second to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six fixtures, now sit a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Challengers?

It remains a particularly tough question to resolve. History, the traditional standing of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been entirely convincing this season, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

As per the data, in only two games have Villa registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a side that have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans look curiously susceptible – however right now the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent and wait for their star man to save the day with some clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and again versus United.

His opener stemmed from an exquisite effort, arced just inside the upright from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has secured their last eight victories by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the biggest rival the club must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, will not continue to thrashing the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins might resume adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this is a surprise. Few believed Aston Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And certainly earlier this season, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run should be enjoyed precisely because it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.