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A mere eight weeks ago that the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager scolded him for missing a through-ball. At that point, as the club went six without a win, the question was if Rogers' form were a symptom or a cause for Villa's wider issues.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

On Sunday, in contrast, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. As Rogers curled home his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, the boss tore off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa marched on to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six matches, are somehow only three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Hopefuls?

That’s a rather hard query to answer. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

As per statistical analysis, in only two games have Villa posted an expected goals figure notably superior than their opponents. For a team who have just won 10 in a row, the Villans appear weirdly vulnerable – but currently the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to rescue them with some crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened versus United.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, arced just inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slight scruffier version of the opener capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those matches.

Regression to the mean could be the most significant challenge they must confront in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling the football into the top corner indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is a different scenario whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs might still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins might resume finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho might become the performer he showed during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually return from injury, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable backline.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it appears so improbable. When the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and must be appreciated.