Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Fuels Villa's Unlikely Title Charge

A mere eight weeks prior that the young forward found himself on the Sunderland turf, looking confused while the Villa manager berated him over missing a pass in behind. At that point, with the team endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear whether Rogers' form were an indicator or the source of Villa's more general malaise.

On Sunday, in contrast, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. When the in-form star drilled in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa were on their way to ten wins in a row , after failing to win their opening six matches, are somehow just three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard question to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Moreover, they've rarely been entirely convincing this season, while the positive results have stacked up.

According to statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa posted an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a side that have just won ten consecutive victories, they appear curiously susceptible – however right now the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping Rogers to rescue them with two clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and once more when facing Manchester United.

The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, arced precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition registered a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. The team has secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those matches.

A statistical correction may well be the biggest rival the club must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, will not continue to thrashing the ball into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, instead of luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• The winger could transform into the player he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the seeds for a sustained push, but they surely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And certainly two months ago, nobody thought the young forward now would be leading a hunt for the title while looking like a vital player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner faced the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and must be appreciated.