It was eight weeks ago that the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager berated him for missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, the question was if Rogers' form were a symptom or the reason of Villa's wider issues.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
On Sunday, though, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. After the England international curled home his second strike to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The Birmingham club continued to a 10th successive win and despite not winning any of their first six fixtures, find themselves a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
That’s a particularly tough query to resolve. History, the perceived status of this institution, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they've rarely been wholly dominant this season, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.
Per the data, on just two occasions has the team posted an xG significantly higher than their opponents. For a club which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, they appear weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the margins are swinging for them.
The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent before hoping Rogers to rescue them with two precise efforts. This occurred against Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.
Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”
Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed more efforts and more shots on target. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.
Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. Rogers, surely, will not continue to thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers forever.
Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players could still find their top level.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on one man.
Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed Aston Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, no one envisioned the midfielder now would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title and appearing as a crucial Three Lions star.
This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it seems so surreal. As the match-winner positioned himself before the Villa faithful at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.
A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital innovations and consumer electronics.
