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One of the biggest stories of the EPL this campaign is the reduction of scoring in open play and the way clubs have been scoring increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Looking at scoring methods to the first 11 games the prior season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 fewer in total.

Considering the bigger picture, shot attempts sides are producing have seen a remarkable drop of 370 in open play than this time last time out.

And despite the big increase in dead-ball scores, there have actually been only two additional shots generated from these situations outside of spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency teams have been at devising strategies to score from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Tell a Story

Over 300 goals notched in 110 matches up to now averages out at 2.74 goals per game, if maintained for the entire campaign could be the least for five years, since 2020-21 (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 scores coming in open play equates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the smallest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season is also the unique EPL campaign to experience scoring more often from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

In terms of scoring from open play, Wolves have recorded the largest decline, scoring just four in 11 games, 10 fewer than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, the Premier League's drop in goals from open play is very much a London thing, with half of the city's seven teams recording a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is mainly because their scoring many goals at the start of the previous campaign instead of them having difficulty to score in open play the current term.

Conversely Man City have experienced the largest rise, with nearly all of their 23 goals this season coming in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared the promoted teams with the relegated sides they took the place of. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded three more goals in open play than the Saints achieved in their first 11 games on their way to the drop the previous campaign.

When it comes to scoring from dead-ball situations (aside from penalties), Arsenal and the Blues have seen the biggest increase, with the two clubs compensating for the five fewer scores that they've produced in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have recorded two times more goals from set-pieces as they managed in matchday 11 last season ahead of their coach assumed control, while Sunderland once more are more successful at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

City seem unaware of the memo about netting additional goals from set-pieces, as they've scored a reduction of three than the previous campaign, similar to the Reds, even if that might be down to the tactical shift they've attempted to adopt.

General Tendencies

Six teams – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – have been this term's primary examples by netting less goals from open play and increased from set-pieces, while Manchester City represent the only side to go against the grain so far by doing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if clubs carry on to depend greatly on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and begin scoring additional scores in open play too.