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A major talking point of England's top flight this campaign is the drop of goals scored in open play and how teams are finding goals more from dead-ball situations instead.

When we compare goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and penalties, leading to 13 fewer altogether.

Examining overall statistics, shot attempts sides are producing reveal an incredible 370 fewer in open play than at this stage previously.

And despite the significant rise in set-piece goals, records show just two more attempts created from these situations outside of spot-kicks, indicating how effective clubs are at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Statistics Show a Story

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures so far works out at 2.74 scores each match, if this persists for the whole season might be the least for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

But just under 200 goals coming in open play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the least for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

That campaign additionally represents the unique EPL season to experience scoring more often from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).

Which Teams Account for This Change?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded by far the biggest decline, registering a mere four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than at this stage the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolves, the EPL's fall in open-play scoring is predominantly a London thing, with five out of the capital's seven sides recording five or more fewer goals from open play than last season.

In fairness, that's largely down to them netting lots of goals at the beginning of the previous campaign rather than them really struggling to score in open-play this season.

Meanwhile Manchester City have experienced the biggest increase, with all but one of the 23 they've scored to date coming in open play.

Set-Play Proficiency

We've compared newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than the Saints did in their first 11 games leading to the drop last season.

In terms of goals scored from dead-ball situations (not counting penalties), the Gunners and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with both sides making up for the reduction of five scores that they've produced in open play with the same number from dead-ball chances.

Man United have recorded double the number goals from set-pieces as they did in matchday 11 the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim took charge, while the Black Cats additionally have been more successful at converting than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

Manchester City don't seem to have got the message about increasing scoring from set-plays, because they've recorded a reduction of three than the previous campaign, like Forest, even if that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – have been the current campaign's leading trend-followers by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City represent the sole team to buck the trend to date by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be fascinating to watch if teams carry on to place such emphasis on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they regain their overall inventiveness and start scoring additional scores in open play too.