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It was two months prior that the young forward stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as his coach admonished him over failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were a sign or a cause for the team's more general malaise.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

In the latest match, in contrast, the manager's outburst was far more favourable. After the England international curled home his second to reclaim his side's advantage, Emery ripped off his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team continued to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six matches, are somehow a mere three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to answer. The historical record, the traditional standing of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding during this run, while the victories have stacked up.

As per Opta, on just two occasions has the side had an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a club who have put together 10 in a row, Villa appear strangely fragile – but currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their star man to rescue them with two clinical strikes. This was the case against Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and once more against United.

The initial strike stemmed from a brilliant finish, curled right inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he pounced 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.”

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the most significant challenge they have to face over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, cannot keep on drilling his shots into the net's top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality whereby, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players could still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The winger might become the force he was in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a vital England player.

This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner positioned himself before the home supporters after the match leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.