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Just 60 days prior that Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as Unai Emery scolded him for missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as Villa failed to win in six, doubts remained if his performances were an indicator or the reason for Villa's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, however, the touchline reaction was decidedly more positive. As the in-form star curled home his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician tore off his coat, threw his arms wide and roared. The team were on their way to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their opening six games, now sit only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Hopefuls?

That’s a particularly tough query to answer. History, the traditional standing of the club, argues against it. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the wins have accumulated.

As per Opta, twice all season has the side posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club who have put together ten consecutive victories, they appear weirdly vulnerable – yet currently the margins are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with rivals before hoping their talisman to bail them out with two clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and it happened versus United.

Rogers' first goal came from a superb shot, arced just inside the upright from a wide position. For his second proved to be a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opposition registered more efforts and more direct attempts. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent the club will encounter over the coming weeks. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot keep on drilling his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players could still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the force he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually come back from the treatment room, strengthening a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, this is a surprise. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the match-winner positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.