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It was 60 days prior when Morgan Rogers was standing on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as his coach scolded him over missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were an indicator or the reason for the side's broader struggles.

“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 sideline response was entirely much more joyous. After the England international drilled in his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning any of their first six fixtures, are somehow only three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

It remains a rather hard query to answer. The historical record, a general sense of this institution, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the team had an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club that have put together a ten-match winning streak, Villa appear curiously susceptible – however currently the margins are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach appears to be to exchange chances with rivals before hoping Rogers to bail them out with two crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and it happened when facing the Red Devils.

His opener originated from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. Against United, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival Villa have to face as the season progresses. Rogers, surely, cannot keep on thrashing the football into the net's top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists another reality where, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures may yet return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the player he showed in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defence.

This could contain the potential of a title challenge, but they surely cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable the team would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the hero stood in front of the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.