Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Drives The Villans' Improbable Championship Bid

A mere 60 days ago that the young forward was standing on the Sunderland turf, looking confused as Unai Emery berated him for failing to anticipate a penetrating pass. At that point, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether his performances were a symptom or a cause of Villa's wider issues.

On Sunday, however, the sideline response proved to be decidedly more positive. After the England international swept in his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss discarded his winter coat, spread his arms and roared. The team were on their way to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six fixtures, find themselves a mere three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Are They Serious Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard query to address. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, while the victories have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa had an xG notably superior than the other team. For a side that have just won 10 in a row, Villa seem strangely fragile – however right now the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Winning Formula

The current approach looks like to exchange chances with the opposition before hoping their talisman to bail them out with two clinical strikes. This occurred against Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and once more versus United.

His opener stemmed from a brilliant finish, bent just inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

How Long Can This Continue?

Common sense dictates no. Against United, Manchester United registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those games.

A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent Villa have to face in the near future. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs might still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker might resume scoring again.
• The winger might become the force he was during his peak.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually come back from the treatment room, fortifying an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility for a sustained push, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.

Relishing the Unlikely

But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt earlier this season, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be leading a title charge while establishing himself as a vital Three Lions star.

This winning streak should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the hero faced the North End when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be relishing every moment. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.