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A mere 60 days in the past that the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed while his coach scolded him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether his performances were a symptom or a cause for the side's broader struggles.

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

On Sunday, though, the sideline response proved to be decidedly more positive. After Rogers drilled in his second to restore his side's advantage, Emery discarded his jacket, spread his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six games, now sit just three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard proposition to address. The historical record, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been completely commanding during this run, while the wins have accumulated.

According to Opta, twice all season has the team posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team who have put together a ten-match winning streak, they seem strangely fragile – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic appears to be to trade blows with the opposition and wait for their talisman to rescue them with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against United.

Rogers' first goal originated from a brilliant finish, arced right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he seized on a setup by his strike partner.

“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those fixtures.

A statistical correction could be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot maintain blasting his shots past despairing goalkeepers forever.

A Case for Belief

Could it be another reality in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs might still return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho might become the performer he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. As the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, it was clear to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.