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One of the biggest stories of the EPL this campaign is the decline of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how sides have been scoring increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Looking at how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, we see a drop of 39 goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, giving us 13 less altogether.

Considering the bigger picture, efforts on goal teams are taking reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than at this stage previously.

Even with the notable jump in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen only two additional shots created from them outside of spot-kicks, showing how effective clubs are at devising strategies to score from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Reveal the Tale

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures so far works out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if maintained for the whole season would be the smallest for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores scored in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is on course to be the smallest for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign is also the sole English top-flight season to experience scoring at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?

Regarding scoring from open-play, Wolves have seen the largest drop, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is largely a London thing, with five of the London's seven clubs netting a minimum of five less scores from open play than the prior season.

In fairness, this is mainly because them netting lots of scores at the beginning of last season instead of their genuine struggle to convert in open-play the current term.

Conversely Man City have experienced the largest rise, with almost every one of their 23 goals this season originating in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Looking at newly promoted sides with those that were relegated that they superseded. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded three more scores in open play than the Saints managed in their first 11 games on their way to relegation last season.

Regarding goals scored from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the most significant jump, with the two clubs replacing the five less goals that they've netted in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

United have recorded double the number scores from set-pieces as they did in the first 11 matches last season before the manager took charge, while Sunderland once more have been more successful at netting than the club they replaced they replaced.

City don't seem to have got the trend about scoring more from set-pieces, as they've scored three fewer than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – represent the current campaign's leading trend-followers by netting less goals from open-play and more from set-plays, while Manchester City are the unique club to go against the grain up to now by achieving the contrary.

It will be fascinating to watch if teams carry on to depend greatly on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their general attacking flair and begin converting increased totals in open-play as well.