Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Drives Aston Villa's Improbable Push for Glory

It was 60 days prior when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as his coach scolded him for not reading a pass in behind. Back then, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether his performances were a symptom or the source of Villa's more general malaise.

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. When the England international drilled in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician ripped off his coat, spread his arms and roared. The Birmingham club were on their way to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their opening six matches, now sit only three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Legitimate Hopefuls?

This is a particularly tough proposition to address. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, while the victories have stacked up.

According to the data, on just two occasions has the side posted an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a team who have put together ten consecutive victories, they seem weirdly vulnerable – however right now the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with the opposition and wait for their star man to rescue them with two precise efforts. This occurred away to Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and again versus Manchester United.

His opener originated from an exquisite effort, arced precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. Villa have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean might be the biggest rival they must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the ball into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path in which, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players could still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins might resume adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho might become the player he was in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, bolstering a sometimes shaky defence.

This could contain the seeds of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Savoring the Moment

Yet, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And certainly two months ago, no one envisioned the midfielder by the end of the year would be spearheading a title charge while looking like a crucial player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. Such periods are rare in football and should be relished.