The jacket took flight before the ball had even settled in the net. Unai Emery’s burst of adrenaline, launching his coat into the Villa Park night, captured the sheer force of an Aston Villa machine that simply cannot be stopped. The catalyst for that moment, the match-winner who left last, was Morgan Rogers, whose two exquisite goals downed Manchester United 2-1 and cemented Villa’s serious title credentials.
Approaching the season’s halfway point, Villa’s seventh consecutive Premier League victory – a tenth win in all competitions – lifts them to third, just three points behind leaders Arsenal. This wasn’t just another win. It was a declaration. Matheus Cunha’s slick first-half equalizer proved a mere consolation on an evening where individual brilliance decided the contest.
Rogers provided that brilliance in spades. His second goal, a deft drift inside and another pinpoint finish into the far corner, prompted his now-iconic celebration: arms spread, face screwed up in a shrug. “Well, what am I supposed to do?” it seemed to say. Teammate Amadou Onana pretended to crown him. Emery, however, revealed a typically demanding edge. “I was not entirely happy with him until that moment,” the Villa manager stated later, a reminder of the standards driving this charge.
The opening half crackled with intent from the start. Cunha flashed a warning wide for United inside three minutes. Villa responded through Ollie Watkins and John McGinn, forcing saves from United’s stand-in keeper Senne Lammens. The pressure was building, a steady drumbeat before Rogers’s symphony.
His first, just before the interval, was a thing of beauty. He kept McGinn’s pass alive on the touchline, cut inside, and curled a sumptuous strike beyond Lammens’s despairing glance. Villa Park erupted, but the lead was shockingly brief. In stoppage time, Patrick Dorgu robbed Matty Cash and Cunha, superb all night, fired a ruthless equalizer across Emi Martínez.
Parity didn’t last long after the break. A minute into the second half, Rogers struck again. Youri Tielemans hooked a cross in, Watkins fumbled, but Rogers was razor-sharp. The same move, cutting inside past Leny Yoro, the same sublime finish picking out the far corner. Cue Emery’s jacket taking flight.
United, hampered by the first-half loss of injured captain Bruno Fernandes and missing Kobbie Mainoo, faded. Lisandro Martínez, deployed in midfield, slammed a shot into the advertising boards. Their best chance to level fell to Cunha, but he headed wide from point-blank range under pressure from Ezri Konsa. A frustrating night for manager Ruben Amorim ended with more injury concerns.
The history here isn’t lost on anyone. The last time Villa won seven straight in the top flight was the 1989-90 season under Graham Taylor, a run that also included beating United and ended in a second-place finish. If they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend, they’ll match the club’s 127-year-old record of 11 consecutive wins.
For now, the theatre belongs to Rogers and Emery’s relentless side. The chorus from the Holte End asked Birmingham if it was listening. The truth is, after a performance and result like this, the entire Premier League is straining to hear. The title race, unequivocally, has a new and roaring contender from Villa Park.
