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Just 60 days ago when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was whether his displays were a symptom or a cause of the side's wider issues.

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

In the latest match, however, the sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. After the England international drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reinstate his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician tore off his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win their initial half-dozen games, find themselves only three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to resolve. The historical record, a general sense of this institution, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the positive results have piled up.

According to the data, on just two occasions have Villa posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a club who have put together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans appear strangely fragile – however right now the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on Rogers to rescue them with a couple of precise efforts. It happened away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again versus Manchester United.

The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, curled just inside the post from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal proved to be 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. During the latest victory, the opponents had more efforts and more efforts on goal. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those games.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. Their key man, surely, cannot keep on blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers forever.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists another reality in which, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs might still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward could start adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent could transform into the performer he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are set to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

This could contain the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on one man.

Savoring the Moment

However, this is a surprise. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the young forward now would be leading a championship pursuit while looking like a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it seems so surreal. When the match-winner faced the North End at the final whistle leading the celebrations, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.