On a weekend when Phil Foden and Cole Palmer helped Manchester City and Chelsea to vital Premier League victories, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers showed just why he retains a firm grip on the number 10 position in Thomas Tuchel's England set-up.
Villa's eight-match winning run in all competitions appeared under serious threat at the midway point of Sunday's game at third-bottom West Ham, who led 2-1 at the break against a side who appeared jaded and short of inspiration after Thursday's Europa League victory at Basel.
In the second half, however, Rogers decided to take matters into his own hands.
The 23-year-old scored his first of the afternoon five minutes into the second half, making it 2-2 from close range after West Ham had failed to clear Youri Tielemans' low cross into the box.
Then, with the final 10 minutes approaching, Rogers collected a loose ball 30 yards from goal and was given time and space to slam a powerful, swerving strike into the top right corner of Alphonse Areola's goal and clinch a ninth straight victory for Unai Emery's third-placed team.
That magnificent effort capped a fine all-round performance from Rogers and reaffirmed his status as England's first-choice number 10 at next summer's World Cup - despite world-class competition from Foden, Palmer and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham.
"He scored two fantastic goals and, for me, he is not just going to be in the squad next summer," said former England forward and Match of the Day pundit Theo Walcott. "He is a dead cert to be a starter for England at the World Cup - 100%.
"He does everything, he's not just a goal threat. I like all [the contenders for the number 10 position], but one of them is going to have to miss out on the squad itself - and Rogers, for me, has to start."
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