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One of the biggest stories of the Premier League this campaign is the reduction of scoring in open play and the way clubs have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, leading to 13 fewer in total.

Considering overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking show an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than this time last season.

And despite the significant rise in set-play finishes, there have actually been a mere two extra shots created from these situations outside of spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency sides have been at finding ways to score from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Tell an Interesting Narrative

Over 300 goals notched in 110 games up to now averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per game, if this persists for the whole season could be the lowest for since 2020-21, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores scored in open-play averages out 1.78 each match and is heading to be the lowest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76).

The 2009-10 season is also the unique EPL campaign to experience scoring more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest decline, scoring just four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolves, the EPL's fall in goals from open play is predominantly a trend among London clubs, with half of the London's seven clubs scoring a minimum of five less scores from open play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is mainly because their scoring many scores at the early stages of last season instead of them really struggling to score in open-play this campaign.

Conversely Manchester City have recorded the largest rise, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored to date arriving in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Looking at clubs that came up with the relegated sides that they superseded. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded three extra scores in open-play than Southampton did in matchday 11 en route to the drop last season.

In terms of scoring from dead-ball situations (not counting penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, 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 scored two times more scores from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign prior to the manager assumed control, while the Black Cats once more have been more effective at converting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

Man City appear not to have received the memo about netting additional goals from set-pieces, as they've scored three fewer than last season, like the Reds, though that might be down to the altered approach they're working to install.

Overall Patterns

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – represent this term's top trend-setters by netting less scores from open play and more from set-plays, while Manchester City are the sole team to defy the pattern so far by doing the complete reverse.

It remains to be seen to observe if sides continue to depend greatly on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their overall inventiveness and start scoring additional scores in open-play too.