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A major talking point of the EPL season so far concerns the drop of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces instead.

When we compare goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, leading to 13 fewer overall.

Examining the bigger picture, efforts on goal clubs are making reveal a remarkable 370 fewer in open play than this time last time out.

Regardless of the big increase in set-play finishes, we've actually seen only two additional attempts created from these situations outside of penalties, showing how effective teams have been at discovering methods to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Tell a Story

The 301 goals recorded in 110 matches to date works out at 2.74 goals per game, if this persists for all 38 games could be the smallest for since 2020-21, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

But just 196 scores coming in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the smallest for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

That campaign additionally represents the only Premier League campaign to experience scoring at a higher rate from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 each match (0.79).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolves have seen the most significant drop, netting only four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than at this stage the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolverhampton, the EPL's decline in goals from open play is largely a trend among London clubs, with five of the city's seven teams netting at least five goals fewer 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 this campaign.

Conversely Man City have seen the largest rise, with almost every one of their 23 scores so far originating in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Looking at newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they replaced. Sunderland Sunderland have scored three more goals in open-play than Southampton did in their opening 11 matches en route to demotion the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have experienced the most significant jump, with both sides making up for the five less goals that they've scored in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Man United have recorded twice as many goals from set-pieces as they did in the first 11 matches the previous campaign prior to their coach took over, while the Black Cats additionally are more successful at converting than the similar-colored team that went down.

City seem unaware of the message about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've netted three fewer than the previous campaign, similar to Nottingham Forest, though this may result from the change in style they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – have been this term's leading trend-followers by recording fewer scores from open-play and increased from set-plays, while Manchester City are the only side to defy the pattern up to now by achieving the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if sides continue to rely so heavily on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they find again their all-round creativity and start converting increased totals in open play as well.