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A major talking point of England's top flight season so far has been the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way sides are netting more from set-plays as an alternative.

When we compare goal sources to the first 11 games the prior season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer in total.

Examining the broader view, efforts on goal clubs are making have seen a remarkable 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.

Regardless of the significant rise in set-piece goals, we've actually seen only two additional shots created from these situations excluding penalties, demonstrating the efficiency teams are at discovering methods to convert from dead-ball situations.

Goal Statistics Tell the Tale

301 total goals scored in the first 110 fixtures so far calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, which if it continued for the entire campaign would be the least for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69).

Yet merely 196 goals scored in open-play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76).

The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to experience goals scored at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

Regarding goals scored from open-play, Wolves have recorded the largest decrease, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's decline in open play goals is largely a trend among London clubs, with half of the capital's seven sides recording a minimum of five fewer goals from open-play than the previous year.

In fairness, this is primarily due to them scoring many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to find the net in open-play this campaign.

At the same time Manchester City have recorded the largest rise, with all but one of the 23 they've scored this season arriving in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared clubs that came up with those that were relegated they took the place of. Play-off champions Sunderland have scored three more scores in open-play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 leading to the drop the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, with both sides compensating for the five less goals that they've netted in open play with identical figures from set-pieces.

Man United have netted double the number scores from set-pieces as they achieved in matchday 11 last season before their coach took charge, while Sunderland again prove better at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

Man City appear not to have received the memo about increasing scoring from set-plays, as they've recorded three fewer than the previous campaign, similar to Forest, even if this could be because of the altered approach they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – are the current campaign's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City represent the unique club to go against the grain to date by doing the contrary.

It remains to be seen to watch if sides persist to rely so heavily on set-plays as the season goes on or if they rediscover their all-round creativity and begin netting additional scores in open play too.