Aston Villa ace Morgan Rogers was delighted as we came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday.
The 23-year-old scored twice in the second half to inspire our comeback, including a stunning free-kick from the edge of the box to put us ahead in the 75th minute.
After a difficult start to the season, both on a personal level and for the team as a whole, Rogers and Villa are finding their way again this year as we continue to put wins together and climb the Premier League table, and so it’s no surprise that there was delight over sealing a win after the international break to back up our form before it.
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As they showed in the first half, Leeds away is a hugely difficult challenge, with Villa second best in the opening 45 minutes as we struggled with their intensity, aggression and press across the pitch.
The hosts were deservedly ahead at the break, but through excellent tweaks from Unai Emery and a positive reaction from the players through the course of the second half, we were able to fight our way back into the contest and ultimately come out on top.
Rogers was pivotal to that with his two goals, and he acknowledged that he’s continuing to improve his game, get back to form and the team as a whole is finding momentum and confidence through our wins while also finding a way with resilient efforts.
Further, he also paid tribute to Emiliano Buendia for his free-kick, as after seeing his Argentine teammate score a similar goal against Bournemouth prior to the break, Rogers produced his own moment of class in the same manner.
“It was a great win at a difficult place,” he said, as quoted by BBC Sport. “We had to dig deep and work hard and show our determination,. We deserved the win in the end. When you look at everyone in the room we will work as hard as we can and leave everything out there. We may not be at it as normal but sometimes heart and determination gets you over the line.
On his goals: “The manager was banging on at me to get in the box and make runs into the box. There was a lot of pace on the ball so thankfully I was able to direct it. I am happy the free-kick went in. I tried to replicated Emi (Buendia) and thankfully it went in. I tried a bit in training and have been trying. The set-piece coach is banging on at me to keep trying in training.
On Villa’s form: “A lot of people had opinions on how we started the season but we know how good we are. We are playing really well at the moment and full of confidence.
“We knew it wasn’t the game for pretty football and nice passes. It was about how hard we wanted it and how much we were determined. They were at us in the first half. We brought that energy in the second half. We brought that resilience. We had to dig deep at the end.
On his free-kick winner: “It wasn’t bad. Emi [Buendia]’s been practising, I’ve tried to practise with him. I’m not as good as him. We’ve been practising that technique. I’m happy that went in. I’m happy it worked today.”
“It’s a difficult place to come,” he later added. “They’re really strong at home. They played really well, with a high intensity. We had to dig in, we had to dig deep. Luckily, we managed to find two goals in the second half to win the game, which is the most important thing.
“Of course we want to play better with pretty football, but you can’t always do that in the Premier League. Different teams pose different problems. We were really good with grit and dertermination, and we got the win.”
On Villa’s second-half improvement: “We played a lot quicker with more intensity and tried to hurt them more. In the first half, we didn’t really cause that many problems, but in the second half we definitely did. We played a lot quicker and a lot more forward.
“That definitely helps, but normally it’s about our heart and our spirit to win. Competing in battles, competing in duels, keep running, keep working. It was a difficult win, they pushed us right to the limit.”
On his goals: “I’m really happy. There’s been a few goals I haven’t quite got in other games so it was nice to get on the score sheet. But if I don’t score, it’s OK as long as we get the win.
“The manager’s always banging on at me to get into the box. That’s where the goals are scored. Sometimes I’m hesitant to go in. I went in and just kind of reacted to the ball. I’m lucky I could get a toe on it. I was really happy with that one.
“Straight out of half-time, we had the energy. The crowd was up, everything was going well. It was a good time to score.”
On his free-kick: “I call it the Emi Buendia. He did it the in the last game before the break. It’s something I’ve been practising, probably not as hard as him or as much as I should.
“Once he was off the pitch, I looked around and there was nobody else that really practised them, so I thought ‘why not?’ I know I’ve got them in the locker. It’s about consistency. From so close, it’s just about getting it up and down as quickly as possible.”
On celebrating with the set-piece coach: “He bangs on at me to do it more. Sometimes I don’t do it as well as I should. That one was for him. He does his homework on all free-kicks, especially attacking free-kicks – how high we have to get it, how much it has to come down. He’s really good at stuff like that. That one was for him.”
On Villa’s position: “The season kind of shapes in this big period. There’s no break, there are no gaps, it’s just relentless. The table kind of shapes how it will be until the rest of the season. We have to make sure we’re in and around the mix. It’s a good start.”
Rogers now has three goals and three assists in 17 appearances so far this season, but equally as important, his ability to be influential as part of our general build-up play is gradually returning as he tries to get back to the levels he set last year.
We’ve seen how integral he is to the way Emery wants us to play with his ability to pick up space between the lines and drive at defences in transition, and hopefully these goals and decisive displays will continue to build his confidence, and help the team continue to set a strong pace across the Premier League and Europa League in the coming weeks.