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A mere 60 days in the past that the young forward found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered while his coach scolded him for missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his displays were an indicator or a cause of the team's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, though, the sideline response was much more joyous. When Rogers curled home his brace-sealing goal to reinstate his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician ripped off his coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, find themselves a mere three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

This is an exceptionally difficult question to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding this season, even as the wins have accumulated.

Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club that have put together a ten-match winning streak, Villa appear weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy appears to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and wait for Rogers to save the day with two clinical strikes. This occurred against Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and once more when facing Manchester United.

His opener came from an exquisite effort, curled just inside the post from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal acted as a slight scruffier version of goal number one 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. Against United, the opposition managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average could be the most significant challenge the club must confront as the season progresses. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot keep on thrashing the football past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent could transform into the force he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this is a surprise. Few believed Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine Rogers now would be leading a title charge and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run should be enjoyed exactly since it seems so surreal. When the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended conducting the cheers, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.