🔗 Share this article

A mere eight weeks prior that Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as his coach admonished him over missing a through-ball. At that point, as Villa went six without a win, the question was whether his performances were a sign or the source of Villa's wider issues.

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

On Sunday, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. After the in-form star drilled in his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. The team marched on to ten wins in a row and having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, are somehow only three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard query to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant during this run, even as the victories have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, twice all season has the side posted an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a side which has strung together ten consecutive victories, they look curiously susceptible – yet currently the fine lines are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping their star man to rescue them with some clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and again against United.

The initial strike stemmed from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. For his second proved to be a somewhat messier replica 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opponents had more efforts and more shots on target. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those matches.

A reversion to average might be the greatest opponent Villa must confront over the coming weeks. Their key man, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures could still find their top level.

• The centre-forward could start adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho might become the player he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable defence.

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

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. Nobody thought the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a hunt for the title while looking like a crucial Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As Rogers stood in front of the North End at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and should be relished.