Morgan Rogers' Rich Vein of Form Propels Aston Villa's Unlikely Title Charge

It was eight weeks in the past when the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while the Villa manager scolded him for missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as Villa went six without a win, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the reason of the team's more general malaise.

In the latest match, though, the sideline response was entirely far more favourable. When Rogers swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team continued to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win any of their first six matches, are somehow just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Hopefuls?

It remains a rather hard proposition to address. Past precedent, the traditional standing of the club, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

As per Opta, on just two occasions have Villa posted an expected goals figure notably superior than their opponents. For a team which has just won ten consecutive victories, Villa look strangely fragile – but currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach seems to be to exchange chances with rivals before hoping their talisman to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from a brilliant finish, curled precisely inside the upright from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he seized on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. Against United, Manchester United registered more shots and more shots on target. Villa have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all except one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the greatest opponent the club have to face over the coming weeks. Rogers, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Could it be another reality whereby, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The winger may rediscover the force he resembled during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial England player.

The current run must be cherished exactly since it seems so surreal. As Rogers stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.