🔗 Share this article

A mere two months ago when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused as the Villa manager admonished him for not reading a pass in behind. Back then, with the team failed to win in six, doubts remained whether his performances were an indicator or a cause of Villa's broader struggles.

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

This weekend, however, the touchline reaction proved to be decidedly more positive. After the in-form star curled home his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss tore off his jacket, opened his arms and bellowed. The Birmingham club marched on to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning any of their first six matches, find themselves just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Challengers?

That’s a rather hard proposition to resolve. History, the perceived status of the club, indicates otherwise. Moreover, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, while the positive results have accumulated.

As per Opta, on just two occasions has the side registered an xG notably superior than their opponents. For a club who have strung together a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent and wait for Rogers to save the day with some precise efforts. This was the case against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again versus Manchester United.

His opener originated from a superb shot, bent right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing 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.”

Can It Last?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those games.

A reversion to average may well be the biggest rival Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. Rogers, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is another reality in which, rather than luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures may yet rediscover their best form.

• The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the force he resembled during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a sometimes shaky backline.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a title charge while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

The current run must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. When the hero faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.