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This surely should not continue. The logic defies sense for it to persist. And yet, it does.

A Historic Victory Defying Expectations

Aston Villa entered Saturday's Premier League encounter at Chelsea aiming for a historic record of 11 consecutive wins, a feat last achieved in 1897 and 1914. For the opening hour, achieving it seemed highly unlikely, as the hosts controlled proceedings, secured the lead, and might have added to their advantage. However, Chelsea are frailty with a lead, especially at home, while Villa have cultivated a remarkable habit of securing away victories from losing positions.

First, Ollie Watkins leveled the scores, the ball cannoning in off his leg and the post following his first effort was blocked by the goalkeeper. Subsequently, he secured the decisive goal with a precise header. This marked just his fourth and fifth league goals of the season. The forward might believe some fortune was overdue, and there's no question the first goal involved a large slice of good fortune. At the moment, though, fortune is favoring Villa.

The Numbers Behind an Implausible Streak

The last nine of these 11 straight wins have been by a solitary goal. They have kept a shutout in just one of those matches. Their underlying metrics have been superior in only six of those fixtures, and in two of those, the advantage was minimal. Their last five away Premier League victories have all come after conceding first. This formula seems unsustainable, but observers have been claiming that for some time, and Villa keep on winning. The key question is whether their outcomes will eventually match their displays or if their performances can rise to match the results.

This should not be sustainable, but everybody's been saying that for weeks and Villa keep on winning.

A Core Characteristic: Resilience

Coming from behind is not merely a trait of the current campaign. Over the past 3 seasons, no side has gained more points when trailing than Villa's 54; 18 of those have been secured this term, fifty percent more than the next best team, Sunderland. This season, Villa substitutes have scored nine goals. Two important points can be made about Villa under Unai Emery.

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

The Emery Effect

While Chelsea had the better of the expected goals 2.1 to 1.4, Villa were the dominant force from the moment, just before the hour mark, when Emery executed a triple change. Watkins came on for Donyell Malen, who had struggled with few chances. Immediately, the ball was held up better, and Watkins's runs behind the defensive line created issues. Onana and Sancho also came on, bolstering the center and adding the width they had eschewed earlier.

The Blues registered ten attempts to Villa's zero before the substitutions; following them, Villa had eleven opportunities to Chelsea's four. By the final whistle, Villa were commanding and could easily have won more comfortably. Not for the first time, opposing manager Maresca struggled to respond as the game slipped away; the impression remains that he is better at devising a game plan with time to prepare than adapting on the fly.

Individual Brilliance

Villa have also developed a happy habit of individuals producing pieces of sensational quality to alter games. Rogers has been decisive at Leeds, West Ham, and against Manchester United. The sight of him working the ball onto his favored foot and whipping a finish home has become a seasonal theme. It was Malen who changed the game after coming on at Leeds. Watkins swung the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of players such as Konsa and Viktor Lindelof on Saturday were key. At present, it's seldom the entire team playing flawlessly, but sufficient players within it stepping up to secure 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 approaches its midway point, they must be viewed as in the title race, certainly more so than teams like Chelsea or reigning title holders Liverpool. Tuesday's away game at Arsenal will be a major examination of that status. Villa beat Arsenal on the first weekend of December, a match in which they not only had better the xG but posted an xG 40% higher than any other side has managed against Arsenal in the league this term.

The Gunners have assembled their own sequence of single-goal victories, winning three in a row without ever being wholly convincing. Tuesday will be a test for both teams – and if Villa secure a 12th game in a row, it would become increasingly difficult to dismiss their title credentials.