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A major talking point of England's top flight season so far concerns the drop of scoring in open-play scenarios and how clubs are netting more from dead-ball situations instead.

Comparing how goals have been scored to matchday 11 last season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer altogether.

Examining the bigger picture, shot attempts sides are producing reveal an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage last time out.

And despite the notable jump in set-play finishes, we've actually seen just two more shots created from them excluding penalties, showing the efficiency clubs have been at discovering methods to net from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Tell an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals recorded in 110 matches up to now works out at 2.74 scores per fixture, if maintained for all 38 games would be the least for since 2020-21, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

But just 196 goals coming 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 average).

The 2009-10 season is also the only Premier League season to experience scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79).

What Clubs Bear the Most Responsibility?

Regarding scoring from open play, Wolves have seen the largest decrease, netting a mere four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's fall in open-play scoring is largely a London thing, with half of the London's seven clubs scoring at least five goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring numerous scores at the beginning of last season instead of them really struggling to convert in open play this season.

Conversely Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, 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We've compared newly promoted sides with the teams that went down that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted three more goals in open play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 on their way to demotion last season.

In terms of goals scored from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the largest rise, with both sides making up for the five fewer scores that they've produced in open-play with the same number from dead-ball chances.

Man United have scored twice as many scores from set-plays as they did in the first 11 matches last season prior to Ruben Amorim assumed control, while Sunderland again have been more effective at netting than the similar-colored team that went down.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about increasing scoring from set-plays, since they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, although this may result from the altered approach they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and the Hammers – have been the current campaign's primary examples by netting less scores from open-play and increased from set-pieces, while Manchester City are the unique club to defy the pattern up to now by achieving the contrary.

It remains to be seen to see if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as matches continue or if they rediscover their all-round creativity and commence converting increased totals in open play as well.