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A major talking point of England's top flight this campaign is the reduction of scoring in open-play scenarios and how sides are netting more from set-pieces instead.

Comparing goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, we note a drop of 39 goals in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, giving us 13 fewer overall.

Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal teams are taking show an incredible drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last time out.

Even with the notable jump in set-play finishes, we've actually seen only two additional shots produced from these situations outside of spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency clubs have been at finding ways to convert from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Reveal a Story

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures up to now averages out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if this persists for the whole season might be the least for half a decade, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

However, only 196 scores coming in open play averages out 1.78 each match and is on course to be the smallest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76 average).

That campaign additionally represents the only Premier League season to see scoring more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen by far the biggest drop, scoring just four in 11 games, 10 fewer than at this stage the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolves, England's top division's drop in goals from open play is predominantly a London thing, with half of the capital's seven sides recording five or more goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

Honestly, that's largely down to them scoring many scores at the start of the previous campaign rather than them really struggling to convert in open play the current term.

Conversely Manchester City have recorded the most significant jump, with all but one of their 23 scores so far originating in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at newly promoted sides with the relegated sides that they superseded. Play-off winners the Black Cats have scored an additional three scores in open-play than Southampton did in their opening 11 matches leading to demotion last season.

When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with both sides making up for the five fewer scores that they've scored in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have recorded twice as many scores from set-plays as they did in the first 11 matches the previous campaign before the manager took over, while Sunderland again have been more successful at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

Man City seem unaware of the trend about scoring more from set-plays, as they've recorded a reduction of three than last season, like the Reds, though that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – are the current campaign's leading trend-followers by recording fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the only side to go against the grain so far by performing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to observe if sides persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they find again their overall inventiveness and begin converting increased totals in open-play as well.