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A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign has been the drop of scoring in open play and the way teams are finding goals more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

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

Examining overall statistics, efforts on goal clubs are making reveal a remarkable 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last season.

And despite the significant rise in set-piece goals, there have actually been only two additional shots produced from them outside of spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency sides have been at discovering methods to score from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Tell a Story

301 total goals scored in 110 matches to date works out at 2.74 scores each match, which if it continued for the whole season could be the smallest for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69).

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

The 2009-10 season also marks the unique EPL season to experience goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced the most significant decline, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open play goals is largely a London phenomenon, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring a minimum of five fewer goals from open play than last season.

To be fair, this is primarily due to their scoring numerous goals at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to find the net in open-play this season.

At the same time City have experienced the largest rise, with nearly all of their 23 goals this season originating in open play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at the promoted teams with those that were relegated that they superseded. Sunderland Sunderland have netted three extra scores in open-play than the Saints managed in their first 11 games leading to demotion the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from dead-ball situations (excluding penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the biggest increase, with each team replacing the reduction of five scores that they've produced in open-play with the same number from set-pieces.

Manchester United have netted two times more goals from set-pieces as they did in matchday 11 last season prior to their coach assumed control, while the Black Cats once more prove more successful at scoring than the club they replaced they superseded.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've recorded three less than the previous campaign, like Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the tactical shift they've attempted to adopt.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – represent the current campaign's top trend-setters by netting less scores from open play and increased from set-plays, while Manchester City stand as the sole team to go against the grain up to now by performing the complete reverse.

It will be fascinating to observe if sides persist to rely so heavily on set-plays as matches continue or if they regain their overall inventiveness and commence scoring increased totals in open-play also.