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A mere eight weeks ago when the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery berated him for failing to anticipate a pass in behind. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear if his displays were an indicator or the source of Villa's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, however, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. As the in-form star swept in his second to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six games, now sit a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Title Contenders?

This is a rather hard query to answer. History, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant this season, while the wins have stacked up.

As per the data, in only two games has the side registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a team that have just won ten consecutive victories, they seem weirdly vulnerable – but at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic looks like to exchange chances with the opposition and wait for Rogers to bail them out with some clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened versus United.

The initial strike stemmed from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the post from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, the opposition had more efforts and more shots on target. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those matches.

A reversion to average could be the greatest opponent they must confront as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, will not continue to thrashing his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures might still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The winger may rediscover the performer he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, bolstering a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

This could contain the potential for a sustained push, but they surely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, this is a surprise. Nobody thought Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, few could imagine the young forward now would be leading a title charge while looking like a crucial Three Lions star.

This remarkable period should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the hero stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.