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A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign has been the drop of scoring in open play and the way sides have been scoring more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Comparing how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, giving us 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the broader view, the number of shots sides are producing reveal a remarkable 370 fewer in open-play than this time last season.

And despite the notable jump in dead-ball scores, records show a mere two extra attempts produced from them outside of penalties, showing the efficiency sides have been at discovering methods to score from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Show the Tale

The 301 goals notched in 110 games up to now works out at 2.74 goals per game, if this persists for the whole season might be the smallest for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores scored in open play averages out 1.78 each match and is heading to be the smallest for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

2009-10 also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to see goals scored at a higher rate from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per game (0.79).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

Regarding scoring from open-play, Wolves have seen the largest drop, netting only four in 11 matches, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolves, the EPL's fall in open play goals is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the city's seven teams netting at least five fewer goals from open play than the prior season.

Honestly, this is primarily due to them netting many goals at the early stages of last season instead of their genuine struggle to find the net in open play the current term.

At the same time Man City have seen the largest rise, with almost every one of their 23 goals so far coming in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted an additional three scores in open-play than Southampton managed in matchday 11 leading to demotion last season.

In terms of goals scored from dead-ball situations (not counting penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the most significant jump, with each team replacing the five fewer goals that they've netted in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Man United have recorded twice as many scores from set-plays as they did in the 11 games last season prior to the manager took charge, while Sunderland again are more successful at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

City don't seem to have got the trend about netting additional goals from set-pieces, since they've netted three less than last season, similar to the Reds, even if this may result from the change in style they have tried to implement.

League-Wide Trends

Six clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – have been this term's primary examples by netting less goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City represent the unique club to defy the pattern so far by performing the contrary.

It remains to be seen to see if clubs persist to depend greatly on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and commence scoring increased totals in open-play as well.