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One of the biggest stories of the EPL season so far is the drop of scoring in open play and the way sides have been scoring more from set-plays as an alternative.

Comparing scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, giving us 13 fewer overall.

Examining overall statistics, shot attempts clubs are making reveal a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

Even with the significant rise in set-piece goals, records show just two more shots generated from these situations outside of penalties, indicating the proficiency teams are at devising strategies to net from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals notched in 110 matches so far averages out at 2.74 goals per fixture, if this persists for the whole season would be the smallest for since 2020-21, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

Yet merely 196 goals scored in open-play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 seasons, since 2009-10 (1.76).

The 2009-10 season is also the unique EPL season to see scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolves have recorded the most significant decline, netting a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolverhampton, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London phenomenon, with half of the London's seven clubs recording five or more goals fewer from open play than last season.

Honestly, this is primarily due to them scoring numerous scores at the beginning of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to score in open-play this season.

Conversely Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with almost every one of their 23 goals so far arriving in open play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Comparing newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded an additional three goals in open-play than the Saints managed in their opening 11 matches on their way to demotion the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from dead-ball situations (excluding spot-kicks), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the largest rise, with both sides replacing the reduction of five scores that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from set-pieces.

Man United have scored two times more scores from set-plays as they managed in matchday 11 last season before their coach took over, while Sunderland additionally prove better at netting than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

Man City seem unaware of the trend about increasing scoring from set-pieces, since they've recorded three fewer than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, though that might be down to the altered approach they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – are this term's primary examples by netting less scores from open play and increased from set-plays, while Manchester City represent the sole team to buck the trend to date by achieving the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to watch if teams carry on to rely so heavily on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they regain their overall inventiveness and start converting more goals in open-play also.