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A mere two months in the past when the young forward found himself on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as Unai Emery admonished him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. At that point, with the team went six without a win, doubts remained if his displays were a sign or a cause for the team's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the sideline response was much more joyous. After the England international swept in his second strike to reclaim the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician tore off his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club continued to ten wins in a row , having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, are somehow only three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Challengers?

This is an exceptionally difficult question to address. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been completely commanding during this run, while the positive results have accumulated.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a club which has just won ten consecutive victories, they seem weirdly vulnerable – but currently the margins are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to trade blows with an opponent and wait for their star man to bail them out with two crisp finishes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred in London, and again versus Manchester United.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, bent just inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal proved to be a somewhat messier replica of the opener as he seized 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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opponents managed more efforts and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.

Regression to the mean might be the greatest opponent Villa have to face over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, cannot maintain drilling the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures could still find their top level.

• The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the force he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defence.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this was unforeseen. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When Rogers positioned himself before the home supporters at the final whistle leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.