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One of the biggest stories of England's top flight season so far concerns the decline of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs have been scoring increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

When we compare how goals have been scored to the first 11 games the prior season, we note 39 fewer scored in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 less in total.

Considering overall statistics, efforts on goal clubs are making show a staggering drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage last time out.

And despite the significant rise in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen only two additional attempts created from these situations outside of penalties, showing how effective teams are at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Reveal an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals notched in 110 matches to date calculates at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if maintained for the entire campaign could be the lowest for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

But just 196 goals scored in open play translates to 1.78 per game and is on course to be the lowest for 16 years, back in 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign is also the unique EPL season to witness scoring at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Teams Are Most Responsible?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decrease, netting a mere four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, the EPL's drop in open-play scoring is largely a trend among London clubs, with half of the capital's seven sides netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open play than last season.

To be fair, that's largely down to their scoring lots of scores at the start of the previous campaign instead of them really struggling to find the net in open-play this season.

At the same time Man City have experienced the biggest increase, with all but one of the 23 they've scored this season coming in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared clubs that came up with the teams that went down they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted three more scores in open-play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 leading to the drop last season.

Regarding goals scored from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with each team making up for the reduction of five scores that they've produced in open-play with an equal amount from set-pieces.

Manchester United have recorded double the number scores from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season prior to the manager took over, while Sunderland additionally prove more effective at converting than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

City don't seem to have got the message about netting additional goals from set-pieces, because they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, though this may result from the change in style they've attempted to adopt.

Overall Patterns

Six sides – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – are this season's primary examples by netting less goals from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Man City are the sole team to buck the trend so far by achieving the contrary.

It will be fascinating to see if teams continue to rely so heavily on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they find again their all-round creativity and commence netting additional scores in open-play too.