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This surely should not go on. The logic defies sense for it to persist. Yet, persist it does.

A Record-Chasing Victory Against the Odds

Aston Villa entered the weekend's Premier League clash at Chelsea aiming for a historic record of 11 consecutive wins, matching runs set in the distant past. For the opening hour, achieving it seemed improbable, as the hosts dominated proceedings, took the lead, and might have added several more. But, Chelsea have shown frailty with a lead, especially at home, while Villa now possess a remarkable knack of snatching away victories after falling behind.

First, the striker leveled the scores, the ball ricocheting in off his leg and the post following his initial shot was saved by the goalkeeper. Later on, he nodded in the winner with a deft header. These were just his fourth and fifth league goals of the season. Watkins might believe some fortune was due, and there's no question the equalizing goal involved a significant element of good fortune. At the moment, though, fortune seems to be smiling on Villa.

The Statistics Behind an Unlikely Streak

Nine of these 11 straight wins have been by a solitary goal. They have kept a shutout in only one of those matches. Their underlying metrics have been superior in only six of those fixtures, 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 formula should not, yet observers have been saying that for weeks, and Villa keep on winning. The central question is whether their results will eventually align with their performances or if their level of play can improve to justify the points haul.

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

A Core Characteristic: Resilience

Coming from behind is not merely a trait of this season. Over the past three seasons, no team has won more points when trailing than Villa's 54; 18 of those have been secured this term, 50% more than the second-placed team, Sunderland. This season, Villa players from the bench have contributed nine goals. Two key points can be made about Villa under Unai Emery.

• Firstly, they possess a deep-rooted confidence that means no game ever feels insurmountable. This is, to an extent, self-perpetuating: the more they come from behind, the more they are convinced they can do it once more.
• Secondly, Emery has proven exceptionally skilled at influencing games with his substitutions.

A Masterful Change

While Chelsea won the expected goals 2.1 to 1.4, Villa were dominant from the moment, around the hour mark, when Emery made a triple change. Ollie Watkins replaced Malen, who had found it difficult with limited service. Suddenly, the ball was held up better, and Watkins's movement behind the defensive line created issues. 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 none before the substitutions; following them, Villa created eleven opportunities to Chelsea's four. By the end, Villa were commanding and could easily have won by a greater margin. Once again, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca struggled to respond as the game turned against him; the sense remains that he is better at implementing a tactical plan with preparation time than adapting on the fly.

Moment of Magic

Villa have cultivated a happy habit of players producing moments of match-winning quality to alter games. Morgan Rogers has been decisive at Leeds, West Ham, and against Manchester United. The sight of him working the ball onto his favored foot and curling a finish home has become a recurring leitmotif. It was Malen who transformed the game after coming on at Leeds. Watkins changed the game at Stamford Bridge. The performances of players such as Ezri Konsa and Viktor Lindelof on Saturday were also vital. At present, it's not always the entire team playing flawlessly, but sufficient individuals within it stepping up to earn the victories.

What Comes Next?

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 have to be viewed as in the title race, arguably more so than teams like Chelsea or reigning title holders Liverpool. Tuesday's away fixture at Arsenal will be a significant test of that claim. Villa beat Arsenal on the first weekend of December, a match in which they not only won the xG but registered an xG 40% higher than any other side has achieved against Arsenal in the league this season.

The Gunners have since put together their own run of single-goal victories, winning 3 in a row without ever being entirely convincing. Tuesday will be a challenge for both sides – and if Villa secure a 12th game in a row, it would become almost impossible to deny their championship pedigree.