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A key narrative of the EPL season so far has been the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way teams are finding goals increasingly from dead-ball situations instead.

Looking at how goals have been scored to matchday 11 the prior season, we see 39 fewer goals in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer altogether.

Considering the bigger picture, shot attempts clubs are making have seen an incredible drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last time out.

Regardless of the significant rise in dead-ball scores, records show a mere two extra attempts created from them outside of spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency teams have been at devising strategies to net from dead-ball situations.

Goal Statistics Reveal an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals recorded in 110 games to date calculates at 2.74 scores each match, if this persists for the whole season would be the least for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

However, only under 200 goals coming in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76 average).

The 2009-10 season additionally represents the unique EPL season to witness scoring at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 each match (0.79).

Which Teams Account for This Change?

When it comes to goals scored from open-play, Wolves have experienced by far the biggest decline, scoring just four in 11 matches, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolves, England's top division's fall in goals from open play is largely a London thing, with five out of the city's seven teams netting a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is primarily due to their scoring many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign instead of them having difficulty to find the net in open play the current term.

Meanwhile Man City have recorded the largest rise, with all but one of their 23 scores so far originating in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they replaced. Play-off champions the Black Cats have scored three extra goals in open-play than Southampton achieved in their opening 11 matches on their way to the drop the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from set-pieces (aside from penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have experienced the biggest increase, with both sides compensating for the reduction of five goals that they've netted in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

United have netted two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign prior to the manager took charge, while Sunderland once more prove better at scoring than the club they replaced that went down.

Man City seem unaware of the trend about netting additional goals from set-pieces, since they've netted three less than last season, as have Forest, though this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.

League-Wide Trends

Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – represent this season's top trend-setters by netting less goals from open play and more from set-pieces, while Man City stand as the unique club to defy the pattern to date by doing the complete reverse.

It remains to be seen to observe if clubs persist to rely so heavily on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and begin converting more goals in open play as well.