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A key narrative of the Premier League this campaign concerns the decline of goals scored in open play and how sides are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces instead.

Comparing how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less altogether.

Examining the broader view, shot attempts clubs are making reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than this time last season.

And despite the notable jump in set-piece goals, there have actually been only two additional attempts produced from these situations excluding penalties, demonstrating the proficiency clubs are at finding ways to convert from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Show a Story

The 301 goals notched in the first 110 fixtures to date calculates at 2.74 scores per game, if maintained for all 38 games could be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

Yet merely 196 goals coming in open-play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the smallest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76).

2009-10 also marks the only Premier League campaign to experience goals scored at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per game (0.79).

What Clubs Account for This Change?

When it comes to goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest decline, registering just four in 11 games, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's decline in open play goals is predominantly a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides recording five or more less scores from open play than the previous year.

In fairness, this is mainly because their scoring many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to their genuine struggle to convert in open-play this campaign.

At the same time Manchester City have recorded the largest rise, with nearly all of their 23 goals this season originating in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing clubs that came up with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off winners the Black Cats have netted three extra scores in open play than Southampton did in matchday 11 en route to demotion the previous campaign.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the largest rise, with both sides replacing the five less scores that they've scored in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

United have recorded double the number goals from set-pieces as they did in the 11 games last season ahead of the manager took over, while Sunderland once more have been better at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

Man City seem unaware of the memo about increasing scoring from set-pieces, since they've netted three fewer than the previous campaign, as have Forest, though this could be because of the tactical shift they're working to install.

Overall Patterns

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – have been this season's primary examples by recording fewer goals from open-play and more from set-plays, while City are the sole team to buck the trend to date by doing the exact opposite.

It remains to be seen to see if clubs continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and start converting additional scores in open-play also.