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A key narrative of the EPL season so far concerns the decline of scoring in open-play scenarios and how sides have been scoring more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Comparing scoring methods to the first 11 games the prior season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, giving us 13 fewer in total.

Examining the bigger picture, shot attempts clubs are making show a staggering drop of 370 in open-play than this time last time out.

Even with the notable jump in set-play finishes, records show only two additional attempts created from them excluding spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency teams have been at discovering methods to score from dead-ball situations.

Goal Statistics Tell a Story

The 301 goals scored in 110 games up to now averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, which if it continued for all 38 games would be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69).

However, only 196 goals coming in open play equates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season is also the sole English top-flight season to witness scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

In terms of scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the most significant drop, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point last season.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the EPL's decline in open play goals is predominantly a trend among London clubs, with five out of the capital's seven sides scoring a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is mainly because them scoring numerous goals at the start of last season instead of their genuine struggle to find the net in open-play the current term.

At the same time Man City have experienced the biggest increase, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored this season arriving in open play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Comparing newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded three more scores in open-play than the Saints managed in their first 11 games leading to the drop the previous campaign.

In terms of goals scored from dead-ball situations (aside from spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with each team making up for the five fewer goals that they've scored in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have scored two times more scores from set-plays as they achieved in matchday 11 the previous campaign ahead of Ruben Amorim took over, while the Black Cats again are better at netting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, since they've netted three less than the previous campaign, like Forest, even if this could be because of the tactical shift they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six sides – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been the current campaign's primary examples by scoring fewer scores from open play and increased from set-plays, while City stand as the sole team to buck the trend up to now by performing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if teams continue to rely so heavily on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and begin converting additional scores in open-play as well.