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A key narrative of England's top flight season so far is the decline of scoring in open-play scenarios and how teams are netting increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

When we compare goal sources to the first 11 games the prior season, we see a drop of 39 scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, resulting in 13 less altogether.

Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal clubs are making show a staggering 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last season.

And despite the big increase in set-play finishes, we've actually seen a mere two extra shots produced from these situations outside of penalties, indicating the efficiency sides have been at finding ways to score from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Reveal a Story

The 301 goals notched in the first 110 fixtures so far calculates at 2.74 scores per fixture, if this persists for the entire campaign would be the least for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

Yet merely under 200 goals coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is on course to be the least for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 average).

That campaign also marks the unique EPL season to witness goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?

In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolves have seen by far the biggest decline, scoring only four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than this point last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's drop in open-play scoring is very much a London thing, with five out of the London's seven clubs netting five or more goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is primarily due to them scoring many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to their genuine struggle to score in open play the current term.

Meanwhile City have experienced the most significant jump, with nearly all of their 23 scores this season coming in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared newly promoted sides with the teams that went down that they superseded. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted three extra scores in open play than Southampton achieved in their opening 11 matches leading to relegation the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have experienced the biggest increase, with each team making up for the five less scores that they've produced in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

United have recorded double the number scores from set-plays as they achieved in the first 11 matches last season ahead of the manager took over, while the Black Cats again have been more successful at netting than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about increasing scoring from set-pieces, as they've netted three less than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, although this may result from the altered approach they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – have been this term's leading trend-followers by recording fewer goals from open-play and more from set-plays, while Manchester City represent the only side to go against the grain so far by doing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to watch if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as the season goes on or if they find again their overall inventiveness and commence scoring increased totals in open play as well.