Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Fuels The Villans' Surprising Title Charge

Just two months ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as Unai Emery berated him for not reading a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team went six without a win, the question was whether Rogers' form were a sign or a cause for the team's broader struggles.

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was much more joyous. After Rogers drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reinstate his side's advantage, the boss tore off his coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. Villa continued to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six matches, find themselves a mere three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard proposition to resolve. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, argues against it. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant this season, even as the victories have stacked up.

As per Opta, on just two occasions has the side had an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a side which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, the Villans look weirdly vulnerable – however at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition and then rely on their star man to bail them out with two clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and once more against the Red Devils.

His opener originated from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the goal frame from a wide position. The follow-up goal proved to be a slight scruffier version of goal number one as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, the opponents had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. They have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, will not continue to thrashing the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures may yet return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he resembled during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the possibility for a sustained push, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would sit third at Christmas. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As Rogers positioned himself before the home supporters at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.