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A major talking point of the EPL season so far concerns the decline of scoring in open-play scenarios and how sides are finding goals increasingly from dead-ball situations instead.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches the prior season, we note a drop of 39 goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 less altogether.

Considering overall statistics, shot attempts clubs are making reveal a remarkable drop of 370 in open-play than this time last time out.

Regardless of the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen a mere two extra attempts produced from them outside of penalties, indicating the proficiency teams are at discovering methods to net from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Reveal an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals scored in 110 games so far calculates at nearly 2.75 goals each match, which if it continued for all 38 games would be the lowest 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 tracking to be the smallest for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

2009-10 is also the only Premier League season to see goals scored at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

What Clubs Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced the most significant decrease, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point last season.

Excluding Wolverhampton, the Premier League's drop in goals from open play is very much a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides recording at least five less scores from open-play than last season.

In fairness, this is mainly because them netting lots of scores at the early stages of last season rather than their genuine struggle to find the net in open play this campaign.

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

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing newly promoted sides with the teams that went down they replaced. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted an additional three goals in open-play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 on their way to demotion last season.

Regarding scoring from dead-ball situations (excluding penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the largest rise, with each team replacing the five less scores that they've produced in open play with the same number from set-pieces.

United have netted double the number scores from set-plays as they managed in the first 11 matches last season before their coach took over, while Sunderland once more prove better at scoring than the similar-colored team they superseded.

Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about scoring more from set-plays, because they've netted a reduction of three than last season, like Forest, although that might be down to the change in style they've attempted to adopt.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – represent this term's leading trend-followers by netting less goals from open play and more from set-pieces, while Manchester City represent the sole team to go against the grain to date by performing the complete reverse.

It will be fascinating to see if clubs carry on to rely so heavily on set-pieces as matches continue or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and start netting additional scores in open play also.