Just 11 weeks ago Aston Villa were winless and third bottom of the Premier League.
Now, driven by manager Unai Emery, they are third with growing talk of their involvement in the title race.
Saturday's dramatic finale against leaders Arsenal underlined their credentials and the 2-1 victory was Emery's 63rd in the Premier League - the most in the club's history.
He has a 54.94% win rate from his 162 games and only the Gunners and Manchester City have picked up more points, 71, than Villa's 67 from 34 games in 2025.
They also face Basel in the Europa League on Thursday knowing victory would all but seal a last-16 spot with Villa third in the group phase.
It all comes after a start to the campaign which left them in the bottom three, out of the Carabao Cup and the last team in the Football League to score a goal.
Monchi, Villa's president of football operations, left in September and Emery's summer spending power was restricted by profit and sustainability rules (PSR) as questions were then asked about whether his touch had deserted him.
Yet three months later the only ones which remain are how seriously to take Villa in the title race.