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It simply cannot go on. It makes no rational sense that it persists. And yet, it does.

A Historic Triumph Against the Odds

Aston Villa entered Saturday's Premier League clash at Chelsea looking to equal a historic record of 11 consecutive wins, matching runs set in 1897 and 1914. For much of the match, achieving it seemed improbable, as the hosts dominated proceedings, took the lead, and might have added several more. However, Chelsea are vulnerability with a lead, especially at home, while Villa have cultivated a baffling habit of snatching away victories from losing positions.

First, the striker equalised, the ball ricocheting in off his leg and the post after his first effort was blocked by Robert Sánchez. Later on, he secured the decisive goal with a deft header. This marked just his fourth and fifth league goals of the campaign. The forward might feel some fortune was overdue, and it's undeniable the equalizing goal had a significant element of luck. At the moment, though, Lady Luck is smiling on Villa.

The Statistics Behind an Unlikely Streak

Nine of these eleven straight wins were by a solitary goal. They have kept a clean sheet in just one of those games. Their expected goals (xG) have been better in only six of those encounters, and in a couple of those, the margin was 0.2 or less. Their last five road Premier League victories have all come after conceding first. This pattern seems unsustainable, yet pundits have been claiming that for weeks, and Villa keep on winning. The key question is whether their outcomes will eventually match their displays or if their performances can rise to justify the points haul.

This seems unsustainable be sustainable, but everyone has been saying that for weeks and Villa keep on winning.

A Core Characteristic: Belief

Fighting back is not merely a trait of this season. Over the past 3 seasons, no team has won more points from losing positions than Villa's 54; Eighteen of those were secured this season, fifty percent more than the next best team, Sunderland. This season, Villa substitutes have scored 9 goals. Two important observations can be made about Villa under their manager.

• First, they possess a profound self-belief that means no deficit ever feels beyond them. This is, in part, self-perpetuating: the more they achieve comebacks, the more they believe they can do it once more.
• Secondly, Emery has proven very skilled at changing games through his use of the bench.

The Emery Effect

While Chelsea had the better of the expected goals 2.1-1.4, Villa became the dominant force from the moment, just before the hour mark, when Emery made a triple substitution. Ollie Watkins came on for Donyell Malen, who had found it difficult with limited service. Immediately, the ball began to stick, and Watkins's runs behind the defensive line created issues. Amadou Onana and Sancho also came on, bolstering the center and providing the width they had lacked earlier.

The Blues registered 10 shots to Villa's zero before the substitutions; following them, Villa created 11 chances to Chelsea's 4. By the final whistle, Villa were in control and could have won more comfortably. Once again, opposing manager Enzo Maresca seemed unable to react as the game turned against him; the impression remains that he is better at devising a tactical plan with time to prepare than making adjustments on the fly.

Individual Brilliance

Villa have cultivated a happy habit of individuals producing pieces of sensational quality to turn games. Morgan Rogers has scored crucial goals at Leeds, West Ham, and against Manchester United. The sight of him shifting the ball onto his right foot and curling a finish into the top corner has become a seasonal leitmotif. It was the winger who changed the game after coming on at Leeds. Watkins changed the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of defenders like Konsa and Lindelof on Saturday were also vital. At present, it's not always the entire team playing brilliantly, but enough players within it delivering to secure the victories.

What Comes Next?

Will they be able to maintain this run? They now sit three points behind Arsenal, and as the season approaches its halfway stage, they must be considered as part of the championship conversation, certainly more so than teams like Chelsea or defending champions Liverpool. Tuesday's away fixture at Arsenal will be a major test of that claim. Villa beat Arsenal earlier this month, a match in which they not only won the xG but posted an xG forty percent higher than any other side has achieved against Arsenal in the league this season.

Arsenal have assembled their own sequence of single-goal victories, winning 3 in a row without ever being wholly convincing. The upcoming clash will be a test for both sides – and if Villa secure a twelfth game in a row, it would become almost impossible to deny their championship pedigree.