This Remarkable Scoring Streak Fuels Aston Villa's Surprising Title Charge

It was eight weeks prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while his coach admonished him for not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as the club went six without a win, the question was if Rogers' form were an indicator or a cause for Villa's more general malaise.

On Sunday, however, the sideline response proved to be much more joyous. As Rogers drilled in his second strike to restore his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his jacket, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to ten wins in a row , despite not winning any of their first six matches, find themselves a mere three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Hopefuls?

That’s a rather hard query to address. History, the perceived status of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, they have not been wholly dominant this season, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

Per Opta, in only two games has the side had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club that have put together a ten-match winning streak, they appear curiously susceptible – but at the moment the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition before hoping Rogers to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and once more versus Manchester United.

Rogers' first goal came from a superb shot, bent right inside the upright from a wide position. His brace-completing goal was essentially a somewhat messier replica of his first as he pounced on a setup by his strike partner.

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition managed more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent they must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the top corner week in, week out.

Potential for Growth

Could it be a different scenario whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players may yet find their top level.

• The main striker might resume finding the net regularly.
• The attacking talent might become the player he was in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs are due to return from injury, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the potential for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Enjoying the Ride

However, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought Villa would be third at Christmas. And certainly two months ago, no one envisioned the young forward now would be leading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.

This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it feels so unlikely. As the hero faced the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are rare in football and should be relished.