Will Aston Villa be able to sustain a title challenge?
Might this season be Aston Villa's moment?
Nine straight wins in all competitions - closing in on the club record of 11 achieved back in 1897 - have propelled Unai Emery's side as genuine contenders.
This stunning form has come after Villa failed to win any of their initial five Premier League matches and had the longest run without a goal of.
They host Manchester United on Sunday before visiting Chelsea and playing leaders Arsenal to finish the year - three games which could shape their place in the championship battle.
Villa have not won a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1996 but, occupying third place in both the Premier League and Europa League, their drought could be broken in remarkable fashion.
Villa maintain the pressure on the leading duo thanks to a Rogers double.
Avoiding the Spotlight
Unai Emery is not giving in to any outside pressure to announce Villa are challenging for the title.
However, the numbers tell a story, as their sole league loss since August came against Liverpool in October, and since then Villa have strung together six top-flight games.
Last Sunday's dramatic 3-2 recovery over West Ham epitomised the resilience of his side and the winning feeling they now carry.
"We are not feeling the pressure, we are feeling ambitious and we try to be competitive in Europe and in the Premier League," Emery said. "Enjoy each match, try to prepare then rest. The players must be at ease doing it."
Emery has been careful to steer clear of any unnecessary focus on his Villa players. After all, they are attracting plenty of plaudits through their excellent results.
Transformation from Struggles to Success
That present run is in complete contrast to a start of the season in which they were without a victory after their six opening games, including a Carabao Cup loss to Brentford, and did not even register a league goal until a 1-1 draw at Sunderland on 21 September.
The squad gathered for talks to assess their worrying beginning and discuss how to get back on track. There was a recognition there had been a carry-over from missing out on the Champions League.
Unai Emery has been in charge of Aston Villa since November 2022.
Villa finished sixth last season and failed to reach the top five on goal difference following a debated loss by Manchester United on the final day.
After that stalemate at the Stadium of Light they have triumphed in 15 out of 17 fixtures, which includes beating Manchester City 1-0 and this month's thrilling 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
There has also been gradual change, not upheaval under Emery, as seven members of the squad who played in the head coach's first match - a 3-1 victory against United in November 2022 - are still crucial now.
Learning from Past Campaigns
"The last year is an blueprint and it's an lesson for us. Sometimes we were playing excellently, we were achieving our objective, but maybe if we were getting our demands higher, maybe even we could get something more," Emery stated.
He added, "This is the third season I am here, I am really very motivated, but [also] more demanding than when I arrived here. My objective has plenty of areas to enhance."
The Quest for Silverware
The most recent occasion Villa claimed a significant honour - beating Leeds 3-0 in the League Cup - feels like a different era.
It has been a lengthy period since, with Villa falling in two FA Cup finals and two League Cup finals over the years.
Emery, a UEFA Europa League champion with Sevilla and Villarreal, declared on his first day in charge that the key aim was to lift a cup. Last season's FA Cup semi-final defeat is not forgotten.
A Europa Conference League semi-final defeat 18 months ago and a thrilling Champions League quarter-final exit last April show they are getting closer.
"Every time we go into a huge fixture now, we have that resolve in the back of our heads to prove this team we have constructed over the past five or six years is worth more than a quarter-final, worth more than a semi-final," captain John McGinn told reporters. "The determination, I can feel it this year."
The pivotal stretch begins now, with Villa poised to discover if they are destined to be kings or merely kingmakers in the championship battle.
