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It was 60 days ago that the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him over failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team went six without a win, doubts remained whether his displays were a symptom or the reason for the team'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 sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. After the in-form star drilled in his second strike to reinstate the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician discarded his jacket, spread his arms and bellowed. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow a mere three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a particularly tough proposition to resolve. The historical record, the traditional standing of Villa, argues against it. Additionally, they've rarely been completely commanding during this run, while the positive results have piled up.

As per the data, twice all season have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team who have put together ten consecutive victories, Villa appear curiously susceptible – yet at the moment the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The current approach appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent and wait for their star man to rescue them with some crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

His opener stemmed from a brilliant finish, curled just inside the goal frame from a wide position. His brace-completing goal acted as a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing 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?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition registered more shots and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter as the season progresses. The forward, surely, will not continue to thrashing the ball into the net's top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, rather than luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he resembled in Germany.
• The defensive duo will eventually come back from the treatment room, fortifying a periodically leaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility for a sustained push, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And certainly two months ago, no one envisioned Rogers now would be spearheading a hunt for the title while looking like an essential Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the hero positioned himself before the Villa faithful when the game ended conducting the cheers, it was clear to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.