It was two months ago when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him for failing to anticipate a pass in behind. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear if Rogers' form were an indicator or the source of Villa's more general malaise.
“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”
This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was decidedly more positive. As Rogers swept in his second to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, now sit a mere three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.
It remains a rather hard question to answer. The historical record, a general sense of this institution, suggests not. Additionally, they have not been wholly dominant in many games, despite the fact the positive results have piled up.
Per statistical analysis, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a side who have put together a ten-match winning streak, they look strangely fragile – however at the moment the fine lines are swinging for them.
Their recent policy seems to be to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to rescue them with two clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it transpired in London, and once more against United.
The initial strike stemmed from a brilliant finish, arced just inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he pounced on a setup by his strike partner.
“Perhaps Rogers’ right foot is becoming like Arjen Robben’s left: just because you know he’s going to whip the ball into the top corner doesn’t mean you can stop him.”
Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, the opponents managed more shots and more direct attempts. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.
Regression to the mean could be the biggest rival they must confront as the season progresses. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing the football into the top corner week in, week out.
Maybe there exists an alternative path whereby, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players may yet return to peak condition.
Maybe within that lies the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.
However, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt back in October, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be leading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a crucial Three Lions star.
This remarkable period should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and must be appreciated.
Rashid Al-Mansoori is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering innovations and digital transformations in the Middle East.
