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It was 60 days ago when the Villa attacker was standing on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as the Villa manager berated him for failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team failed to win in six, the question was whether Rogers' form were a symptom or the reason of the side's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the sideline response was entirely far more favourable. After the in-form star swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and roared. The Birmingham club were on their way to ten wins in a row , after failing to win their opening six games, find themselves just three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard proposition to address. Past precedent, a general sense of the club, argues against it. Additionally, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

As per Opta, on just two occasions has the side posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club which has just won ten consecutive victories, Villa appear weirdly vulnerable – but currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic appears to be to trade blows with the opposition before hoping Rogers to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it happened in London, and once more versus Manchester United.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized 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.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United had more efforts and more direct attempts. They have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those games.

A statistical correction may well be the greatest opponent the club will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot maintain thrashing his shots past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be another reality whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward could start adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the player he resembled in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the potential for a sustained push, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, no one envisioned Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit while looking like a crucial England player.

This winning streak should be enjoyed precisely because it seems so surreal. When Rogers faced the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.