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A mere 60 days prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while the Villa manager berated him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as Villa went six without a win, doubts remained if Rogers' form were a sign or the reason of the side's more general malaise.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

On Sunday, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be decidedly more positive. When the England international drilled in his second strike to reinstate the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician ripped off his jacket, opened his arms and roared. The team marched on to a 10th successive win , having failed to win their opening six fixtures, find themselves only three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard query to resolve. History, the perceived status of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, while the positive results have accumulated.

Per statistical analysis, in only two games has the team had an expected goals figure significantly higher than the other team. For a club who have put together 10 in a row, Villa look weirdly vulnerable – but at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their star man to save the day with two clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it happened in London, and once more against Manchester United.

His opener came from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the upright from a wide position. For his second was essentially a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“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.”

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. Against United, Manchester United had more efforts and more direct attempts. The team has won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those games.

Regression to the mean might be the most significant challenge they will encounter in the near future. Rogers, surely, will not continue to thrashing his shots into the top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path whereby, rather than luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs might still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker might resume finding the net regularly.
• The winger might become the performer he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to come back from the treatment room, fortifying an occasionally vulnerable defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And without a doubt two months ago, no one envisioned the midfielder now would be leading a championship pursuit while looking like an essential Three Lions star.

This remarkable period must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. As Rogers stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and should be relished.