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One of the biggest stories of England's top flight season so far concerns the reduction of scoring in open-play scenarios and how sides have been scoring increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Looking at goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 fewer overall.

Considering the broader view, the number of shots clubs are making show an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage last season.

And despite the significant rise in set-play finishes, there have actually been a mere two extra shots produced from these situations excluding penalties, showing the proficiency clubs have been at discovering methods to net from dead-ball situations.

Goal Statistics Reveal the Tale

The 301 goals recorded in 110 games to date calculates at 2.74 goals per game, if maintained for the whole season would be the lowest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69).

Yet merely 196 scores coming in open play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is tracking to be the smallest for 16 years, back in 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign is also the unique EPL campaign to see scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest drop, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 fewer than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolves, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is very much a trend among London clubs, with half of the city's seven teams scoring a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the prior season.

Honestly, that's largely down to them netting lots of goals at the start of the previous campaign as opposed to them really struggling to find the net in open play the current term.

At the same time City have recorded the largest rise, with nearly all of their 23 scores to date arriving in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared the promoted teams with those that were relegated that they superseded. Play-off champions Sunderland have recorded three extra goals in open-play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches leading to the drop last season.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five less goals that they've netted in open play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have recorded twice as many goals from set-pieces as they did in matchday 11 last season ahead of the manager assumed control, while the Black Cats again have been better at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.

Man City don't seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, because they've netted three fewer than the previous campaign, like Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the tactical shift they have tried to implement.

League-Wide Trends

Six teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – have been this season's primary examples by netting less goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Manchester City are the unique club to defy the pattern to date by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to see if clubs carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and commence scoring additional scores in open play also.