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One of the biggest stories of England's top flight this campaign is the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way sides are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Comparing scoring methods to matchday 11 the prior season, we note 39 fewer goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 less overall.

Examining the broader view, the number of shots sides are producing show an incredible drop of 370 in open play than this time last season.

Even with the notable jump in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen just two more attempts produced from them excluding spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency teams have been at finding ways to score from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Tell the Tale

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per game, which if it continued for all 38 games would be the least for half a decade, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

Yet merely 196 goals scored in open play averages out 1.78 each match and is tracking to be the lowest for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 average).

That campaign is also the only Premier League season to see scoring more often from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen the most significant decrease, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's drop in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the capital's seven sides recording a minimum of five goals fewer from open play than last season.

To be fair, this is mainly because them scoring many goals at the start of the previous campaign instead of their genuine struggle to score in open-play the current term.

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

Dead-Ball Dominance

Looking at the promoted teams with the teams that went down that they superseded. Sunderland Sunderland have netted three extra scores in open-play than the Saints did in their opening 11 matches on their way to demotion the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have recorded the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the reduction of five goals that they've scored in open-play with identical figures from set-pieces.

Man United have netted double the number goals from set-pieces as they managed in the 11 games the previous campaign before the manager took over, while Sunderland once more are better at scoring than the similar-colored team they superseded.

Man City seem unaware of the trend about netting additional goals from set-pieces, because they've recorded three fewer than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, although this could be because of the change in style they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six sides – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been the current campaign's primary examples by scoring fewer scores from open-play and more from set-plays, while Man City are the unique club to go against the grain so far by performing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if sides persist to depend greatly on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they rediscover their all-round creativity and begin netting increased totals in open-play too.