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A key narrative of the Premier League season so far is the reduction of goals scored in open play and how teams have been scoring increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

When we compare goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, we note 39 fewer goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, resulting in 13 fewer overall.

Examining the broader view, shot attempts sides are producing show an incredible drop of 370 in open play than this time previously.

And despite the notable jump in set-play finishes, records show just two more shots generated from them excluding spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency sides are at finding ways to score from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Show an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals scored in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at 2.74 scores each match, if maintained for the whole season might be the least for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69).

However, only 196 scores coming in open play equates to 1.78 each match and is on course to be the lowest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).

2009-10 is also the only Premier League season to see scoring more often from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen by far the biggest drop, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, the EPL's decline in goals from open play is very much a London phenomenon, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring five or more fewer goals from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring many scores at the start of last season as opposed to them having difficulty to score in open-play this season.

Meanwhile City have seen the largest rise, with almost every one of their 23 goals so far originating in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have recorded three more goals in open play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 en route to relegation last season.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the most significant jump, with both sides compensating for the reduction of five scores that they've scored in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

Man United have scored double the number goals from set-pieces as they managed in matchday 11 the previous campaign prior to the manager took over, while the Black Cats additionally are more effective at converting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

Man City appear not to have received the trend about scoring more from set-pieces, since they've scored a reduction of three than the previous campaign, like Nottingham Forest, even if this may result from the change in style they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six sides – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and West Ham – have been this term's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open play and more from set-plays, while City represent the only side to defy the pattern to date by doing the contrary.

It will be interesting to observe if teams carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as matches continue or if they find again their all-round creativity and start netting increased totals in open play also.