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A mere 60 days prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered while his coach admonished him for missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were a symptom or the reason for the side's more general malaise.

“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 was far more favourable. As the England international curled home his second to restore Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win , after failing to win any of their first six fixtures, are somehow just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, while the victories have piled up.

As per Opta, in only two games have Villa posted an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a team who have just won ten consecutive victories, the Villans look weirdly vulnerable – but at the moment the margins are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping their star man to bail them out with a couple of clinical strikes. This was the case at Leeds, it occurred in London, and once more against the Red Devils.

His opener came from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. For his second acted as a slight scruffier version of his first as he pounced 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.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, Manchester United registered a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all except one of those matches.

A statistical correction could be the most significant challenge they will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists an alternative path in which, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures could still find their top level.

• The main striker may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the player he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

However, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable the team would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And certainly 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 an essential player for the national team.

This winning streak must be cherished exactly since it feels so unlikely. When the hero positioned himself before the North End after the match conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.