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A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign concerns the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way teams are finding goals more from set-pieces instead.

Looking at goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, we see 39 fewer scored in open-play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 fewer overall.

Considering the bigger picture, shot attempts teams are taking reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage last season.

Even with the notable jump in set-piece goals, records show only two additional shots generated from them outside of spot-kicks, showing the efficiency teams are at discovering methods to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Show a Story

301 total goals notched in 110 matches up to now works out at 2.74 scores each match, which if it continued for the entire campaign could be the lowest for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69).

However, only 196 goals scored in open play averages out 1.78 each match and is on course to be the smallest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76 average).

That campaign also marks the sole English top-flight season to see goals scored more frequently from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

Regarding scoring from open-play, Wolves have experienced by far the biggest decrease, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Apart from Wolves, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is predominantly a London thing, with five of the London's seven clubs recording five or more fewer goals from open play than the previous year.

In fairness, this is primarily due to them netting many goals at the start of last season instead of them really struggling to find the net in open-play this campaign.

Meanwhile Manchester City have experienced the most significant jump, with all but one of the 23 they've scored so far arriving in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

We've compared newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they replaced. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted three extra goals in open play than the Saints managed in matchday 11 leading to relegation last season.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the biggest increase, with each team making up for the five fewer scores that they've netted in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Man United have recorded double the number goals from set-plays as they achieved in matchday 11 the previous campaign before the manager took over, while the Black Cats additionally have been better at scoring than the similar-colored team they replaced.

City appear not to have received the memo about netting additional goals from set-pieces, as they've scored three less than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.

League-Wide Trends

Six clubs – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – are the current campaign's primary examples by recording fewer goals from open play and more from set-plays, while Manchester City stand as the sole team to buck the trend to date by performing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to see if teams persist to place such emphasis on set-plays as the season goes on or if they find again their general attacking flair and begin scoring more goals in open-play too.