🔗 Share this article

A key narrative of the EPL season so far has been the drop of scoring in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces instead.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, giving us 13 less altogether.

If we look at the bigger picture, shot attempts clubs are making reveal a staggering 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last season.

Even with the significant rise in set-piece goals, we've actually seen a mere two extra attempts created from them excluding penalties, demonstrating how effective sides have been at finding ways to net from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Reveal an Interesting Narrative

The 301 goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures to date averages out at 2.74 goals per game, if maintained for the entire campaign might be the least for since 2020-21, from five seasons ago (2.69).

Yet merely under 200 goals coming in open-play equates to 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the least for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

2009-10 also marks the unique EPL season to witness scoring more often from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Teams Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to scoring from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the most significant decrease, netting only four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage last season.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the EPL's fall in open play goals is predominantly a London thing, with half of the capital's seven sides netting five or more goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is mainly because them netting lots of goals at the early stages of last season instead of them having difficulty to score in open-play the current term.

Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with almost every one of the 23 they've scored this season coming in open play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at clubs that came up with the relegated sides that they superseded. Sunderland Sunderland have recorded an additional three goals in open-play than Southampton did in their opening 11 matches leading to the drop the previous campaign.

In terms of scoring from set-plays (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with each team replacing the five fewer goals that they've scored in open play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have recorded twice as many scores from set-pieces as they managed in matchday 11 last season ahead of the manager assumed control, while the Black Cats again are better at netting than the club they replaced they replaced.

Man City appear not to have received the trend about increasing scoring from set-pieces, because they've recorded three fewer than last season, as have the Reds, although that might be down to the altered approach they've attempted to adopt.

General Tendencies

Six sides – the Gunners, the Blues, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – represent the current campaign's leading trend-followers by recording fewer scores from open-play and more from set-plays, while City are the only side to go against the grain so far by achieving the complete reverse.

It will be interesting to see if clubs continue to depend greatly on set-plays as matches continue or if they find again their all-round creativity and start netting increased totals in open-play as well.