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A mere eight weeks prior when the Villa attacker stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as Unai Emery admonished him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his performances were a sign or the reason of the team's broader struggles.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

This weekend, in contrast, the touchline reaction was entirely decidedly more positive. When the in-form star swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician tore off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win and despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, find themselves a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Challengers?

That’s a particularly tough proposition to resolve. Past precedent, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they have not been entirely convincing during this run, even as the victories have stacked up.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a side who have strung together a ten-match winning streak, they seem strangely fragile – but currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with rivals and then rely on their star man to save the day with two clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and once more when facing the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal originated from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. The follow-up goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

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

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents had more shots and more direct attempts. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those games.

A reversion to average could be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. Rogers, surely, cannot keep on blasting the ball into the top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is another reality where, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures could still find their top level.

• The centre-forward could start scoring again.
• The winger might become the performer he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• The defensive duo will eventually return from injury, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable backline.

This could contain the possibility of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, few could imagine the midfielder as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured precisely because it appears so improbable. As the hero stood in front of the North End when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and must be appreciated.