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A mere eight weeks prior that the young forward stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while Unai Emery admonished him for not reading a through-ball. During that period, with the team endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his performances were a symptom or a cause of the team's wider issues.

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

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction proved to be much more joyous. As Rogers drilled in his brace-sealing goal to restore his side's advantage, Emery discarded his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team were on their way to a 10th successive win and having failed to win any of their first six games, find themselves a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Hopefuls?

This is a rather hard proposition to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, they have not been completely commanding this season, even as the positive results have stacked up.

As per Opta, in only two games has the side posted an xG significantly higher than the opposition. For a side who have put together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans seem curiously susceptible – but right now the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

The current approach appears to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to save the day with some clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred in London, and once more versus Manchester United.

The initial strike originated from an exquisite effort, arced precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

“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.”

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition had more shots and more shots on target. They have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

A reversion to average may well be the most significant challenge they have to face as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, cannot keep on drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path in which, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures could still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent could transform into the force he resembled in Germany.
• The defensive duo are set to regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the possibility for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, nobody thought Rogers now would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as a crucial England player.

This remarkable period must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. As the match-winner positioned himself before the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are rare in football and must be appreciated.