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A mere eight weeks in the past when the young forward found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while his coach scolded him over not reading a through-ball. Back then, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were a symptom or the source of the side's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. After the England international curled home his second to reinstate his side's advantage, Emery discarded his coat, spread his arms and roared. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six matches, are somehow only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Serious Hopefuls?

That’s an exceptionally difficult query to resolve. History, the traditional standing of the club, argues against it. Additionally, their performances haven't been entirely convincing this season, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

According to statistical analysis, in only two games has the team had an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side that have put together ten consecutive victories, they seem weirdly vulnerable – but at the moment the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic seems to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on their talisman to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. This was the case away to Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened when facing the Red Devils.

His opener came from a brilliant finish, arced just inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on a setup by his strike partner.

“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?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition managed more efforts and more direct attempts. They have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean could be the greatest opponent the club will encounter over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot maintain blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers forever.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path in which, rather than luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players could still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker could start finding the net regularly.
• The winger might become the performer he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder now would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. As the match-winner faced the home supporters at the final whistle leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods do not happen often and should be relished.