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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 clubs have been scoring more from set-pieces as an alternative.

Looking at scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, we see 39 fewer goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the broader view, efforts on goal teams are taking show an incredible drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

Even with the significant rise in dead-ball scores, records show a mere two extra shots produced from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency teams are at finding ways to net from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Show an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals recorded in 110 games up to now works out at nearly 2.75 goals per game, which if it continued for the whole season might be the smallest for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 scores coming in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is on course to be the smallest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76).

The 2009-10 season is also the only Premier League campaign to experience scoring more often from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

What Clubs Account for This Change?

Regarding scoring from open-play, Wolves have seen the most significant decrease, scoring a mere four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Excluding Wolves, the Premier League's decline in goals from open play is very much a London thing, with five out of the London's seven clubs recording five or more less scores from open play than the previous year.

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

Conversely City have experienced the biggest increase, with almost every one of their 23 scores this season originating in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing the promoted teams with the teams that went down they took the place of. Play-off winners the Black Cats have netted an additional three scores in open-play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches en route to demotion last season.

In terms of goals scored from set-plays (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the largest rise, with the two clubs compensating for the five fewer goals that they've scored in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Man United have recorded two times more scores from set-pieces as they did in the first 11 matches last season ahead of their coach took charge, while the Black Cats again prove more successful at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

City don't seem to have got the memo about increasing scoring from set-plays, as they've netted three less than last season, similar to the Reds, though this may result from the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.

League-Wide Trends

Six clubs – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, 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 sole team to buck the trend to date by performing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to see if sides carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their overall inventiveness and commence scoring additional scores in open-play too.