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It was eight weeks prior that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, looking confused while the Villa manager admonished him for missing a through-ball. At that point, with the team endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained if his performances were a symptom or a cause for the team's wider issues.

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

On Sunday, though, the touchline reaction was far more favourable. When Rogers curled home his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his winter coat, opened his arms and roared. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win , despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, are somehow just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard question to resolve. The historical record, the traditional standing of the club, argues against it. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding this season, despite the fact the wins have piled up.

According to statistical analysis, twice all season has the team had an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a club which has just won ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear curiously susceptible – but right now the margins are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

Their recent policy seems to be to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their talisman to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred against Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened against the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the upright from a wide position. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

“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. During the latest victory, Manchester United registered more efforts and more shots on target. Villa have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average could be the biggest rival the club will encounter over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.

A Case for Belief

Could it be another reality whereby, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players may yet find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the force he was during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Few believed Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder as the year closed would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial Three Lions star.

This remarkable period is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.