🔗 Share this article

A major talking point of the EPL this campaign has been the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces instead.

Comparing scoring methods to the initial 11 matches the prior season, we note a drop of 39 scored in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less altogether.

Examining overall statistics, efforts on goal teams are taking show a remarkable drop of 370 in open play than this time last time out.

And despite the big increase in dead-ball scores, we've actually seen only two additional attempts produced from them outside of spot-kicks, indicating the proficiency sides have been at discovering methods to net from set-pieces.

Scoring Rates Reveal an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at 2.74 scores each match, if this persists for the entire campaign would be the smallest for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).

But just 196 goals coming in open play averages out 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the lowest for 16 years, from 16 years ago (1.76).

2009-10 is also the sole English top-flight season to see scoring at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

Regarding goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the largest decline, scoring only four in 11 matches, 10 fewer than this point the previous campaign.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is largely a London phenomenon, with half of the capital's seven sides netting a minimum of five less scores from open-play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is mainly because them netting lots of goals at the early stages of the previous campaign as opposed to them having difficulty to convert in open play the current term.

Conversely City have recorded the biggest increase, with all but one of their 23 scores this season arriving in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Looking at newly promoted sides with the teams that went down that they superseded. Play-off champions Sunderland have scored an additional three goals in open-play than Southampton did in matchday 11 leading to relegation the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from set-plays (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with both sides replacing the reduction of five goals that they've produced in open-play with identical figures from set-pieces.

United have scored twice as many scores from set-plays as they managed in matchday 11 last season ahead of the manager took charge, while Sunderland again are more successful at converting than the similar-colored team that went down.

Manchester City appear not to have received the trend about increasing scoring from set-pieces, since they've netted three fewer than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, though this may result from the change in style they've attempted to adopt.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – are this term's top trend-setters by netting less scores from open play and more from set-pieces, while City are the unique club to buck the trend to date by achieving the exact opposite.

It remains to be seen to observe if sides carry on to depend greatly on set-plays as matches continue or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and start scoring increased totals in open play too.