🔗 Share this article

It was eight weeks ago that the Villa attacker was standing on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery admonished him over missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his performances were a symptom or a cause of the side's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, however, the touchline reaction proved to be much more joyous. As Rogers drilled in his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician tore off his coat, spread his arms and roared. The team continued to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win any of their first six games, are somehow only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Title Contenders?

This is a particularly tough query to answer. Past precedent, the traditional standing of this institution, argues against it. Additionally, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

Per the data, in only two games has the side had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team who have just won 10 in a row, Villa look curiously susceptible – yet right now the tight outcomes are going in their favour.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping their star man to rescue them with two precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal originated from a brilliant finish, arced right inside the post from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

“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. During the latest victory, the opponents registered a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. They have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.

A statistical correction could be the greatest opponent Villa have to face in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, will not continue to blasting his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is another reality where, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And certainly two months ago, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a title charge and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. As the match-winner positioned himself before the home supporters after the match orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.