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This surely should not continue. It makes no rational sense for it to persist. Yet, persist it does.

A Historic Triumph Defying Expectations

The Claret and Blue army arrived at Saturday's top-flight clash at Chelsea aiming for a club record of 11 consecutive wins, a feat last achieved in 1897 and 1914. For much of the match, this feat seemed improbable, as the hosts controlled proceedings, secured the lead, and might have added to their advantage. But, Chelsea are frailty with a lead, especially at home, while Villa have cultivated a baffling knack of snatching away victories from losing positions.

First, Ollie Watkins equalised, the ball ricocheting in off his shin and the post after his first effort was saved by Robert Sánchez. Later on, he nodded in the winner with a precise header. This marked just his fourth and fifth league goals of the season. Watkins might feel some fortune was overdue, and there's no question the first goal involved a significant element of good fortune. Currently, though, Lady Luck seems to be smiling on Villa.

The Statistics Behind an Unlikely Run

The last nine of these 11 straight wins have been by a single goal. They have kept a shutout in just one of those matches. Their underlying metrics have been better in just six of those fixtures, and in two of those, the advantage was 0.2 or less. Their last five road Premier League victories have all come from behind. This pattern seems unsustainable, yet pundits have been claiming that for some time, and Villa continue winning. The central question is whether their results will finally match their displays or if their performances can improve to match the points haul.

This seems unsustainable be sustainable, but everybody's been stating that for a while and Villa continue winning.

A Core Characteristic: Resilience

Coming from behind is not just a feature of the current campaign. Over the past three seasons, no side has gained more points when trailing than Villa's fifty-four; Eighteen of those have been secured this season, fifty percent more than the second-placed team, Sunderland. This season, Villa players from the bench have scored 9 goals. Two important points can be made about Villa under their manager.

• Firstly, they possess a deep-rooted self-belief that means no deficit ever feels insurmountable. This is, in part, self-perpetuating: the more they achieve comebacks, the more they are convinced they can do it again.
• Secondly, Emery has proven very skilled at changing games through his use of the bench.

A Masterful Change

While Chelsea won the xG battle 2.1 to 1.4, Villa became dominant from the moment, around the hour mark, when Emery executed a triple change. Watkins replaced Malen, who had struggled with limited service. Suddenly, the ball began to stick, and Watkins's movement in behind caused problems. Onana and Sancho also entered, bolstering the midfield and providing the width they had lacked earlier.

Chelsea had ten attempts to Villa's none before the substitutions; following them, Villa had 11 chances to Chelsea's four. By the final whistle, Villa were in control and could have won more comfortably. Not for the first time, opposing manager Maresca struggled to react as the game turned against him; the impression remains that he is more proficient at implementing a tactical plan with time to prepare than adapting on the fly.

Individual Brilliance

Villa have also developed a happy habit of players producing moments of match-winning quality to turn games. Rogers has scored crucial goals at Leeds, West Ham, and against Manchester United. The image of him shifting the ball onto his right foot and whipping a finish home has become a recurring leitmotif. It was Malen who transformed the game after coming on at Leeds. The striker swung the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of defenders like Konsa and Viktor Lindelof on Saturday were also vital. Right now, it's not always the entire team playing brilliantly, but sufficient players within it stepping up to earn the victories.

The Road Ahead

Will they be able to keep going? They now sit three points behind the league leaders, and as the season nears its midway point, they have to be considered as part of the title race, certainly more so than teams like Chelsea or defending champions Liverpool. Tuesday's away fixture at Arsenal will be a major examination of that status. Villa defeated Arsenal earlier this month, a match in which they not only had better the xG but registered an xG forty percent higher than any other side has managed against Arsenal in the league this term.

The Gunners have assembled their own run of narrow victories, winning 3 in a row without ever being entirely convincing. Tuesday will be a challenge for both teams – and if Villa win a twelfth game in a row, it would become almost impossible to deny their title credentials.