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It was two months in the past that the young forward stood on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery admonished him for not reading a through-ball. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were an indicator or the reason for Villa's more general malaise.

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

On Sunday, however, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. After the England international curled home his brace-sealing goal to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. Villa were on their way to ten wins in a row , despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, now sit only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Genuine Challengers?

This is an exceptionally difficult query to answer. Past precedent, the traditional standing of the club, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been entirely convincing in many games, even as the victories have stacked up.

According to Opta, twice all season have Villa posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans seem weirdly vulnerable – but right now the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition and then rely on their talisman to bail them out with some crisp finishes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal came from an exquisite effort, arced just inside the post from a wide position. His brace-completing goal acted as a somewhat messier replica of the opener capitalizing 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. Against United, the opponents managed more efforts and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those matches.

A statistical correction may well be the most significant challenge they will encounter over the coming weeks. Rogers, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Could it be an alternative path in which, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to return from injury, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

However, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And certainly two months ago, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title and appearing as a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. As Rogers stood in front of the home supporters after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.