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A key narrative of England's top flight season so far concerns the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and how sides have been scoring increasingly from set-pieces instead.

Comparing goal sources to the initial 11 matches last season, we see 39 fewer goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, resulting in 13 fewer overall.

Examining the bigger picture, shot attempts sides are producing show a remarkable 370 fewer in open-play than this time previously.

And despite the big increase in set-piece goals, records show only two additional shots produced from them outside of spot-kicks, showing the proficiency clubs are at devising strategies to score from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals recorded in 110 games up to now calculates at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if this persists for all 38 games could be the least for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).

However, only 196 goals scored in open play equates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the least for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76).

2009-10 also marks the only Premier League campaign to see scoring more often from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per game (0.79 average).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest decrease, netting just four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's drop in goals from open play is largely a London thing, with half of the city's seven teams scoring at least five less scores from open play than last season.

In fairness, this is mainly because them scoring numerous goals at the start of the previous campaign instead of them really struggling to convert in open play this campaign.

Meanwhile Manchester City have recorded the most significant jump, with nearly all of their 23 goals this season arriving in open-play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Comparing newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they replaced. Sunderland the Black Cats have recorded three more scores in open play than Southampton did in their first 11 games on their way to relegation the previous campaign.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (aside from penalties), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the largest rise, with each team compensating for the five less goals that they've scored in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Man United have netted two times more goals from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season ahead of Ruben Amorim assumed control, while Sunderland again are better at scoring than the club they replaced they replaced.

City appear not to have received the message about increasing scoring from set-pieces, as they've scored three less than the previous campaign, like the Reds, even if that might be down to the change in style they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – are this term's primary examples by recording fewer goals from open-play and increased from set-plays, while City are the only side to defy the pattern to date by performing the contrary.

It remains to be seen to see if teams persist to rely so heavily on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and begin scoring more goals in open-play also.