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A major talking point of England's top flight this campaign is the reduction of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are finding goals more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

When we compare scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, we see a drop of 39 scored in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 less altogether.

Examining the broader view, the number of shots sides are producing reveal an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than this time last season.

Regardless of the big increase in set-piece goals, we've actually seen only two additional attempts generated from these situations outside of spot-kicks, demonstrating how effective sides are at discovering methods to score from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Show the Tale

The 301 goals notched in 110 games to date averages out at 2.74 scores per fixture, if maintained for the whole season might be the smallest for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely under 200 goals scored in open-play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the smallest for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76 average).

The 2009-10 season is also the only Premier League campaign to see scoring more often from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decrease, scoring just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Apart from Wolverhampton, England's top division's decline in goals from open play is predominantly a London thing, with five of the London's seven clubs scoring five or more goals fewer from open-play than the previous year.

In fairness, that's largely down to their scoring many goals at the beginning of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to score in open play this season.

Conversely City have seen the biggest increase, with all but one of the 23 they've scored to date arriving in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Sunderland the Black Cats have scored three more goals in open play than Southampton managed in matchday 11 on their way to the drop the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (aside from spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with both sides making up for the five fewer scores that they've produced in open play with the same number from dead-ball chances.

Man United have scored double the number scores from set-plays as they achieved in the first 11 matches last season prior to their coach took charge, while Sunderland again prove more effective at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.

Manchester City appear not to have received the trend about netting additional goals from set-pieces, as they've netted a reduction of three than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, though that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – represent the current campaign's top trend-setters by recording fewer goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City are the unique club to buck the trend to date by doing the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to observe if clubs persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as matches continue or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and commence scoring additional scores in open-play too.