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One of the biggest stories of England's top flight this campaign is the reduction of goals scored in open play and the way clubs are netting increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Looking at goal sources to the first 11 games last season, we see a drop of 39 scored in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 fewer in total.

If we look at the broader view, efforts on goal teams are taking reveal an incredible 370 fewer in open play than this time last season.

Regardless of the notable jump in set-piece goals, records show only two additional attempts produced from them outside of spot-kicks, indicating the efficiency teams have been at discovering methods to net from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Reveal a Story

The 301 goals notched in 110 games to date works out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if maintained for all 38 games might be the smallest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).

But just 196 goals scored in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the smallest for 16 seasons, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

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

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolves have experienced the most significant drop, netting a mere four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open play goals is largely a London thing, with half of the city's seven teams netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

In fairness, that's largely down to them netting many scores at the early stages of the previous campaign instead of their genuine struggle to score in open-play the current term.

Conversely City have seen the largest rise, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored this season arriving in open play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Comparing newly promoted sides with those that were relegated that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted three extra goals in open-play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 en route to the drop the previous campaign.

When it comes to scoring from set-pieces (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have recorded the biggest increase, with both sides compensating for the five less scores that they've scored in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

United have recorded two times more scores from set-pieces as they did in the first 11 matches the previous campaign before their coach took over, while the Black Cats once more prove better at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

City don't seem to have got the memo about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've netted three less than last season, like the Reds, though this could be because of the change in style they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six sides – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this season's leading trend-followers by netting less scores from open play and increased from set-plays, while City stand as the sole team to buck the trend so far by achieving the contrary.

It will be fascinating to observe if clubs carry on to rely so heavily on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they find again their overall inventiveness and commence netting increased totals in open play too.