One of the biggest stories of England's top flight season so far has been the reduction of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are netting more from dead-ball situations as an alternative.
Comparing scoring methods to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been 39 fewer goals in open-play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer overall.
Examining overall statistics, the number of shots teams are taking have seen an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage previously.
And despite the notable jump in set-play finishes, we've actually seen only two additional attempts created from these situations excluding penalties, demonstrating how effective sides have been at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball chances.
Goal Averages Show the Tale
301 total goals scored in the first 110 fixtures up to now averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, if this persists for the whole season could be the lowest for since 2020-21, back in 2020-21 (2.69 average).
However, only 196 goals scored in open play equates to 1.78 per game and is heading to be the lowest for 16 seasons, since 2009-10 (1.76).
The 2009-10 season also marks the sole English top-flight campaign to experience scoring more often from set-plays excluding penalties than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 average).
What Clubs Are Most Responsible?
Regarding goals scored from open play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest decrease, netting just four in 11 games, a reduction of 10 than at this stage the previous campaign.
Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open-play scoring is largely a London phenomenon, with five out of the London's seven clubs scoring at least five less scores from open-play than the prior season.
To be fair, this is mainly because their scoring many goals at the beginning of last season rather than them really struggling to score in open-play the current term.
Meanwhile Manchester City have recorded the largest rise, with almost every one of their 23 scores to date arriving in open-play.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Comparing newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have netted three extra scores in open play than Southampton managed in their opening 11 matches on their way to the drop the previous campaign.
Regarding scoring from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides making up for the five less goals that they've produced in open play with the same number from dead-ball chances.
United have netted two times more goals from set-plays as they managed in the first 11 matches the previous campaign before the manager assumed control, while Sunderland additionally prove more effective at netting than the club they replaced they superseded.
City don't seem to have got the message about netting additional goals from set-plays, since they've recorded a reduction of three than last season, similar to Forest, though that might be down to the altered approach they have tried to implement.
League-Wide Trends
Six clubs – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – have been this season's leading trend-followers by recording fewer scores from open play and additional from set-pieces, while City represent the sole team to buck the trend up to now by achieving the exact opposite.
It remains to be seen to see if teams carry on to place such emphasis on set-pieces as matches continue or if they rediscover their general attacking flair and begin scoring additional scores in open-play too.
