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A mere two months ago when the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while Unai Emery scolded him over missing a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether his displays were a symptom or the source for Villa's more general malaise.

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

This weekend, in contrast, the manager's outburst proved to be far more favourable. After Rogers drilled in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his winter coat, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club were on their way to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a particularly tough query to address. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, indicates otherwise. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

Per Opta, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a club that have just won a ten-match winning streak, they look strangely fragile – but currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent before hoping Rogers to rescue them with two clinical strikes. This was the case against Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and once more when facing Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, arced right inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slight scruffier version of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

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

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, the opponents registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those matches.

A statistical correction could be the most significant challenge Villa must confront over the coming weeks. Rogers, in all likelihood, will not continue to blasting the ball into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is a different scenario where, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins might resume finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually come back from the treatment room, bolstering a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be spearheading a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial England player.

The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When the hero positioned himself before the North End when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.