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A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign is the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how sides have been scoring more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Comparing goal sources to matchday 11 last season, we see 39 fewer goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, giving us 13 fewer overall.

Examining the broader view, efforts on goal clubs are making have seen an incredible drop of 370 in open play than this time last time out.

Even with the significant rise in dead-ball scores, records show a mere two extra attempts generated from these situations outside of penalties, demonstrating how effective teams are at discovering methods to net from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Show an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals notched in 110 matches so far calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per game, which if it continued for the entire campaign would be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only under 200 goals scored in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is on course to be the lowest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

That campaign additionally represents the only Premier League season to see scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolves have seen the most significant drop, netting only four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London thing, with five out of the capital's seven sides recording five or more goals fewer from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is primarily due to them netting many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign instead of them having difficulty to convert in open play the current term.

Conversely Man City have experienced the biggest increase, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored this season coming in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared clubs that came up with the relegated sides that they superseded. Play-off champions Sunderland have recorded an additional three scores in open-play than the Saints achieved in their opening 11 matches on their way to relegation the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (not counting penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the largest rise, with both sides compensating for the reduction of five goals that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have netted two times more goals from set-pieces as they achieved in matchday 11 last season ahead of Ruben Amorim took charge, while the Black Cats once more have been more successful at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

Man City don't seem to have got the memo about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've recorded three less than the previous campaign, like Forest, even if this could be because of the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – have been this season's top trend-setters by netting less goals from open-play and increased from set-pieces, while City are the unique club to defy the pattern so far by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be fascinating to observe if clubs persist to rely so heavily on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their all-round creativity and start converting more goals in open play too.