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It was two months ago when the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered while Unai Emery berated him over missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as Villa went six without a win, the question was whether Rogers' form were a symptom or the source of Villa's more general malaise.

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

In the latest match, however, the touchline reaction was entirely much more joyous. When the England international swept in his second to restore his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician discarded his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa continued to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, are somehow just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Challengers?

This is a particularly tough query to resolve. History, the traditional standing of Villa, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding this season, while the wins have stacked up.

As per the data, on just two occasions has the team posted an expected goals figure notably superior than the opposition. For a team which has put together 10 in a row, Villa seem curiously susceptible – however currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The current approach appears to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent before hoping Rogers to bail them out with two crisp finishes. This was the case against Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened versus Manchester United.

The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, bent right inside the upright from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal proved to be a slight scruffier version of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition managed more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all except one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average could be the greatest opponent they must confront in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the ball into the top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players may yet return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho may rediscover the performer he showed during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. Few believed Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, no one envisioned the young forward as the year closed would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial Three Lions star.

This remarkable period is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner faced the home supporters after the match conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.