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It was 60 days ago when the Villa attacker stood on the Sunderland turf, looking confused as Unai Emery scolded him for not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained if his displays were a symptom or a cause 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, though, the touchline reaction was entirely far more favourable. After the in-form star drilled in his second to restore Villa's lead, Emery discarded his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. The team marched on to ten wins in a row , after failing to win any of their first six games, now sit a mere three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Title Contenders?

It remains a particularly tough question to resolve. The historical record, the perceived status of this institution, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant this season, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

According to the data, twice all season has the team had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club which has put together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans appear strangely fragile – however right now the margins are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with the opposition and then rely on Rogers to save the day with two precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal originated from an exquisite effort, arced right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

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

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. 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 might be the greatest opponent the club have to face in the near future. The forward, almost certainly, will not continue to thrashing his shots into the net's top corner week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is another reality in which, instead of luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures might still find their top level.

• The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho might become the player he resembled during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable backline.

Maybe within that lies the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

However, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine the midfielder now would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. As the hero positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, he seemed to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.