The Astonishing Golden Spell Fuels The Villans' Unlikely Championship Bid

Just eight weeks in the past when the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while Unai Emery admonished him over missing a pass in behind. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the reason for Villa's more general malaise.

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was decidedly more positive. When the England international swept in his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, the boss discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team continued to a 10th successive win , despite not winning any of their first six games, find themselves only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Hopefuls?

It remains an exceptionally difficult query to answer. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions have Villa posted an xG notably superior than the other team. For a team that have put together 10 in a row, the Villans look strangely fragile – yet currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their star man to bail them out with two clinical strikes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again versus Manchester United.

His opener originated from a superb shot, curled just inside the post from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

Can It Last?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, Manchester United had more shots and more efforts on goal. The team has won each of their last eight by just one goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

A reversion to average might be the biggest rival the club have to face over the coming weeks. Their key man, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Could it be a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins could start scoring again.
• The winger might become the performer he showed during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.

Relishing the Unlikely

Yet, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as an essential player for the national team.

The current run is to be savoured precisely because it appears so improbable. When Rogers stood in front of the North End when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.