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It was eight weeks ago when the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused as Unai Emery admonished him for missing a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, doubts remained if his displays were a sign or the reason for Villa's wider issues.

“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 decidedly more positive. After Rogers curled home his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, Emery tore off his jacket, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row and despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, are somehow only three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Challengers?

This is an exceptionally difficult question to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been entirely convincing this season, even as the victories have stacked up.

As per the data, on just two occasions have Villa posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team which has put together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans appear curiously susceptible – but currently the margins are going in their favour.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with rivals and wait for their star man to save the day with some clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it happened in London, and it happened against Manchester United.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the upright from a wide position. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opponents managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all except one of those matches.

A statistical correction could be the most significant challenge the club must confront in the near future. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot keep on thrashing the football into the top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures could still find their top level.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent could transform into the performer he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually come back from the treatment room, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, no one envisioned the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished exactly since it feels so unlikely. As the hero faced the North End after the match conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.