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A mere eight weeks in the past that the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed while his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear whether his performances were a symptom or the source of Villa's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. After Rogers curled home his second strike to reclaim the lead for Villa, the boss tore off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team marched on to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their initial half-dozen matches, now sit a mere three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Challengers?

It remains a rather hard proposition to address. The historical record, the perceived status of the club, argues against it. Moreover, they've rarely been wholly dominant during this run, even as the wins have piled up.

As per the data, in only two games has the side posted an xG notably superior than the other team. For a club that have strung together 10 in a row, they appear weirdly vulnerable – however at the moment the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy looks like to engage in a shootout with an opponent and wait for their talisman to rescue them with some precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened against the Red Devils.

The initial strike originated from an exquisite effort, bent just inside the post from a wide position. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Logic says not. During the latest victory, the opposition had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those matches.

A statistical correction may well be the greatest opponent they will encounter in the near future. The forward, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality in which, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet rediscover their best form.

• The main striker could start scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the player he showed during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would occupy third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

This remarkable period should be enjoyed precisely because it seems so surreal. As Rogers stood in front of the North End after the match conducting the cheers, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These spells are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.