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A major talking point of England's top flight season so far is the drop of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way teams are finding goals more from dead-ball situations instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 less altogether.

Considering the broader view, shot attempts clubs are making have seen a staggering 370 fewer in open-play than this time previously.

Even with the notable jump in set-piece goals, we've actually seen just two more attempts created from these situations excluding penalties, indicating how effective sides are at devising strategies to score from dead-ball chances.

Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures so far averages out at 2.74 scores each match, if maintained for the whole season could be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 per game).

However, only 196 goals coming in open play translates to 1.78 each match and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

The 2009-10 season additionally represents the sole English top-flight campaign to experience scoring more frequently from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced the largest drop, scoring a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than at this stage the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's fall in open-play scoring is very much a London phenomenon, with five out of the London's seven clubs recording a minimum of five less scores from open play than last season.

To be fair, this is mainly because their scoring numerous scores at the beginning of the previous campaign rather than them having difficulty to find the net in open play this season.

At the same time Man City have experienced the most significant jump, with nearly all of their 23 scores this season coming in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

We've compared newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Sunderland the Black Cats have scored three extra goals in open play than the Saints did in matchday 11 en route to relegation last season.

When it comes to goals scored from dead-ball situations (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with each team replacing the reduction of five scores that they've scored in open play with identical figures from set-pieces.

Man United have netted double the number scores from set-plays as they managed in matchday 11 the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim took over, while the Black Cats again have been more effective at netting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

City seem unaware of the trend about increasing scoring from set-plays, as they've netted a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have Nottingham Forest, although this may result from the altered approach they have tried to implement.

General Tendencies

Six teams – the Gunners, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – are the current campaign's primary examples by scoring fewer scores from open play and additional from set-plays, while Man City stand as the sole team to go against the grain so far by performing the exact opposite.

It remains to be seen to watch if teams persist to place such emphasis on set-plays as the campaign progresses or if they regain their overall inventiveness and commence converting more goals in open play too.