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A major talking point of the EPL season so far has been the decline of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way teams have been scoring more from set-pieces as an alternative.

Looking at scoring methods to the initial 11 matches the prior season, there have been 39 fewer goals in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer overall.

Considering the bigger picture, shot attempts teams are taking reveal an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than this time previously.

Regardless of the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen just two more attempts generated from these situations outside of penalties, showing the proficiency teams are at finding ways to score from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Reveal a Story

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures up to now calculates at nearly 2.75 goals per game, if this persists for the whole season could be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 goals coming in open-play translates to 1.78 each match and is tracking to be the least for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign is also the sole English top-flight season to experience goals scored more often from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decline, registering just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point last season.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's decline in open-play scoring is largely a trend among London clubs, with five out of the city's seven teams netting a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, that's largely down to them netting numerous scores at the early stages of last season instead of their genuine struggle to convert in open play this season.

At the same time City have recorded the largest rise, with all but one of their 23 goals so far originating in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

Comparing the promoted teams with those that were relegated they replaced. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than Southampton managed in their first 11 games leading to demotion the previous campaign.

Regarding scoring from set-pieces (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with each team replacing the reduction of five scores that they've produced in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball situations.

Man United have recorded two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim took over, while the Black Cats additionally prove more successful at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about increasing scoring from set-plays, because they've netted three less than last season, like Nottingham Forest, even if this could be because of the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.

League-Wide Trends

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – have been this term's leading trend-followers by scoring fewer scores from open play and additional from set-plays, while City are the only side to buck the trend to date by achieving the contrary.

It remains to be seen to watch if teams continue to rely so heavily on set-pieces as matches continue or if they regain their general attacking flair and commence scoring increased totals in open play also.