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A mere two months in the past that Morgan Rogers was standing on the Sunderland turf, looking confused while his coach scolded him over failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear whether Rogers' form were a sign or the reason for Villa's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was entirely decidedly more positive. As the in-form star drilled in his second strike to reinstate the lead for Villa, the boss ripped off his jacket, threw his arms wide and bellowed. Villa continued to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six matches, are somehow only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Hopefuls?

It remains a particularly tough proposition to resolve. History, the traditional standing of the club, argues against it. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant in many games, while the positive results have accumulated.

Per Opta, twice all season has the side posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club that have just won ten consecutive victories, they seem strangely fragile – however currently the margins are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with rivals and then rely on their star man to rescue them with two crisp finishes. This occurred away to Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

The initial strike originated from a superb shot, bent just inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he pounced on a pass from Watkins.

“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?

Logic says not. During the latest victory, Manchester United registered more efforts and more direct attempts. They have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.

A reversion to average might be the most significant challenge they will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, cannot keep on blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs might still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins might resume finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the player he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

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

Enjoying the Ride

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a hunt for the title while looking like an essential player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner positioned himself before the home supporters after the match orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and should be relished.