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A major talking point of the Premier League season so far concerns the decline of goals scored in open play and the way sides have been scoring increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.

When we compare scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, we note a drop of 39 goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, leading to 13 fewer altogether.

If we look at overall statistics, the number of shots sides are producing show a staggering 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage previously.

Even with the notable jump in set-play finishes, there have actually been just two more attempts generated from these situations excluding spot-kicks, showing how effective clubs are at discovering methods to net from set-pieces.

Scoring Rates Tell an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals notched in 110 games to date calculates at 2.74 goals per game, which if it continued for the entire campaign might be the lowest for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores coming in open play translates to 1.78 each match and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

That campaign additionally represents the sole English top-flight campaign to experience goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolves have seen the largest drop, scoring only four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the EPL's drop in open play goals is largely a trend among London clubs, with five out of the London's seven clubs scoring a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is mainly because their scoring lots of goals at the early stages of the previous campaign rather than their genuine struggle to score in open play the current term.

At the same time Manchester City have experienced the largest rise, with all but one of the 23 they've scored so far coming in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than the Saints achieved in matchday 11 leading to the drop the previous campaign.

Regarding goals scored from dead-ball situations (excluding penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have experienced the biggest increase, with both sides making up for the five less goals that they've produced in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Man United have netted twice as many goals from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games last season ahead of Ruben Amorim took charge, while the Black Cats additionally prove better at netting than the club they replaced they superseded.

City appear not to have received the trend about increasing scoring from set-plays, because they've netted three less than the previous campaign, like the Reds, even if this may result from the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six teams – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – have been this season's primary examples by recording fewer scores from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Manchester City are the sole team to buck the trend to date by doing the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to watch if sides continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their all-round creativity and begin netting more goals in open play as well.