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A key narrative of the EPL this campaign has been the reduction of scoring in open-play scenarios and how clubs are netting increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Looking at goal sources to matchday 11 the prior season, there have been 39 fewer goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and penalties, resulting in 13 fewer altogether.

If we look at the bigger picture, shot attempts sides are producing have seen an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than at this stage last time out.

And despite the notable jump in set-piece goals, there have actually been a mere two extra attempts created from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the proficiency sides have been at finding ways to score from dead-ball chances.

Goal Statistics Tell the Tale

301 total goals scored in 110 matches to date works out at 2.74 scores each match, which if it continued for the whole season might be the least for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).

However, only 196 scores scored in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is on course to be the lowest for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to see goals scored at a higher rate from dead-balls without spot-kicks than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Account for This Change?

When it comes to goals scored from open play, Wolves have experienced the largest decline, registering only four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than this point last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's drop in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the London's seven clubs netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open-play than the prior season.

In fairness, this is mainly because them scoring many scores at the start of the previous campaign as opposed to them really struggling to find the net in open-play this campaign.

Meanwhile Man City have seen the most significant jump, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored so far originating in open play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at newly promoted sides with the relegated sides that they superseded. Sunderland the Black Cats have netted three more scores in open-play than Southampton achieved in matchday 11 en route to demotion the previous campaign.

When it comes to goals scored from set-plays (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the largest rise, with the two clubs compensating for the reduction of five goals that they've netted in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

United have recorded double the number scores from set-plays as they managed in matchday 11 last season before Ruben Amorim took charge, while the Black Cats additionally prove more successful at converting than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

City seem unaware of the trend about netting additional goals from set-pieces, as they've scored three fewer than the previous campaign, similar to the Reds, although that might be down to the tactical shift they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, the Magpies, Tottenham and West Ham – have been this season's primary examples by netting less goals from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City are the only side to buck the trend so far by performing the contrary.

It will be interesting to watch if teams persist to rely so heavily on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they regain their all-round creativity and commence netting more goals in open play as well.