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It was two months in the past when Morgan Rogers stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager admonished him for failing to anticipate a pass in behind. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were an indicator or the reason of Villa's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, however, the sideline response proved to be decidedly more positive. After Rogers drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reinstate the lead for Villa, the boss ripped off his coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to a 10th successive win and after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, now sit only three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard proposition to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, argues against it. Furthermore, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

As per Opta, twice all season has the side registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a team who have strung together 10 in a row, Villa appear curiously susceptible – but at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach looks like to trade blows with rivals before hoping their star man to bail them out with two precise efforts. This was the case away to Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal came from a brilliant finish, curled right inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of his first 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?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition had more shots and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those matches.

Regression to the mean could be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain drilling his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Could it be another reality where, instead of luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The winger might become the performer he showed during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky backline.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

However, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, few could imagine the young forward now would be leading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential player for the national team.

This winning streak should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the match-winner stood in front of the North End at the final whistle leading the celebrations, it was clear to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells do not happen often and should be relished.