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A mere two months in the past when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as Unai Emery berated him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as Villa went six without a win, doubts remained if Rogers' form were a sign or the reason for the side's wider issues.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

This weekend, however, the sideline response was far more favourable. When the England international swept in his second to restore his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six matches, are somehow a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?

That’s a particularly tough query to address. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Furthermore, they've rarely been wholly dominant this season, even as the positive results have accumulated.

Per the data, on just two occasions have Villa registered an xG notably superior than the other team. For a team that have just won 10 in a row, they seem strangely fragile – however right now the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Winning Formula

The current approach looks like to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on Rogers to bail them out with some precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and it happened when facing Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal came from a brilliant finish, arced just inside the upright from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener 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.”

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent Villa have to face as the season progresses. The forward, surely, cannot maintain thrashing his shots into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Perhaps there is another reality whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs might still find their top level.

• The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
• The winger may rediscover the player he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, no one envisioned the young forward by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run must be cherished exactly since it appears so improbable. As the hero stood in front of the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and must be appreciated.