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One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far is the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way teams have been scoring increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.

When we compare scoring methods to the first 11 games the prior season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer in total.

Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal teams are taking show a remarkable 370 fewer in open play than this time last season.

Even with the significant rise in dead-ball scores, records show just two more attempts produced from these situations outside of spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency teams have been at finding ways to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Statistics Tell an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures so far calculates at 2.74 goals each match, if maintained for the entire campaign would be the least for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

However, only 196 goals scored in open play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the lowest for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign additionally represents the only Premier League season to see goals scored more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

In terms of scoring from open play, Wolves have seen the largest decline, scoring a mere four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, the EPL's drop in open play goals is very much a trend among London clubs, with half of the London's seven clubs scoring at least five fewer goals from open-play than the prior season.

To be fair, this is primarily due to them scoring numerous goals at the early stages of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to find the net in open play the current term.

Conversely Man City have recorded the biggest increase, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored to date arriving in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Looking at the promoted teams with those that were relegated that they superseded. Play-off winners the Black Cats have netted three more scores in open-play than the Saints did in matchday 11 on their way to the drop last season.

In terms of scoring from set-plays (not counting penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with both sides replacing the five fewer goals that they've netted in open-play with the same number from set-pieces.

Man United have scored twice as many goals from set-plays as they did in matchday 11 the previous campaign ahead of Ruben Amorim took charge, while Sunderland again prove more effective at scoring than the similar-colored team that went down.

Man City don't seem to have got the message about scoring more from set-pieces, since they've netted three less than the previous campaign, as have Nottingham Forest, though that might be down to the change in style they've attempted to adopt.

League-Wide Trends

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this term's leading trend-followers by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City stand as the unique club to go against the grain up to now by performing the contrary.

It will be interesting to observe if sides persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they regain their overall inventiveness and commence netting additional scores in open play too.