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It was eight weeks ago that the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while his coach admonished him for missing a pass in behind. During that period, as the club went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were an indicator or a cause for Villa's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, however, the touchline reaction was entirely much more joyous. As the England international swept in his second strike to reinstate Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician ripped off his winter coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win their opening six games, are somehow a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Hopefuls?

That’s a rather hard proposition to address. History, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding this season, while the positive results have stacked up.

As per Opta, twice all season have Villa posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side that have put together a ten-match winning streak, they seem strangely fragile – however currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to bail them out with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and once more when facing United.

Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second acted as a slight scruffier version of the opener 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?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opponents registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has won each of their last eight by just one goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival Villa must confront over the coming weeks. Rogers, surely, will not continue to blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists a different scenario in which, instead of luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• The main striker may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential England player.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the hero stood in front of the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, it was clear to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.