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A major talking point of the Premier League season so far is the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how teams are finding goals increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches last season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less overall.

Considering the broader view, the number of shots clubs are making show an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage previously.

And despite the big increase in set-play finishes, records show a mere two extra attempts created from them outside of penalties, indicating the efficiency clubs have been at devising strategies to net from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Show a Story

Over 300 goals notched in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at 2.74 goals per fixture, if this persists for all 38 games could be the lowest for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

Yet merely 196 scores scored in open play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the smallest for 16 years, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).

The 2009-10 season additionally represents the sole English top-flight campaign to see goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).

What Clubs Bear the Most Responsibility?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolves have seen by far the biggest drop, netting only four in 11 games, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, England's top division's decline in goals from open play is predominantly a London phenomenon, with five of the London's seven clubs recording a minimum of five fewer goals from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is primarily due to their scoring numerous goals at the beginning of last season rather than them really struggling to convert in open-play the current term.

Conversely City have seen the largest rise, with nearly all of their 23 goals so far arriving in open play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared the promoted teams with the teams that went down that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded three more goals 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 (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have recorded the biggest increase, with both sides compensating for the five less scores that they've netted in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have netted two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in the first 11 matches the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim took over, while the Black Cats once more prove more effective at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about scoring more from set-pieces, because they've scored three fewer than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, though that might be down to the tactical shift they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six sides – the Gunners, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this season's top trend-setters by recording fewer scores from open-play and increased from set-pieces, while City are the unique club to go against the grain up to now by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to see if teams continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as the season goes on or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and begin converting additional scores in open-play also.