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A major talking point of the Premier League season so far is the decline of goals scored in open-play scenarios and the way clubs are netting increasingly from dead-ball situations as an alternative.

Looking at scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, there have been a drop of 39 scored in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer in total.

If we look at overall statistics, efforts on goal teams are taking show an incredible drop of 370 in open play than this time last time out.

Regardless of the significant rise in set-play finishes, records show a mere two extra attempts created from these situations outside of spot-kicks, indicating how effective teams are at devising strategies to convert from set-pieces.

Goal Averages Reveal the Tale

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures up to now works out at 2.74 goals per game, if maintained for the whole season might be the smallest for five years, from five seasons ago (2.69).

However, only 196 goals scored in open-play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the smallest for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 average).

2009-10 also marks the unique EPL season to witness scoring at a higher rate from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per game (0.79 per game).

Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?

In terms of goals scored from open-play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest decline, netting a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than at this stage last season.

Apart from Wolverhampton, the Premier League's fall in open-play scoring is largely a trend among London clubs, with half of the city's seven teams recording at least five fewer goals from open play than the previous year.

In fairness, that's largely down to them netting numerous scores at the start of the previous campaign as opposed to them really struggling to convert in open-play this season.

Meanwhile Manchester City have experienced the most significant jump, with almost every one of their 23 scores to date arriving in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

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

Regarding scoring from set-pieces (not counting spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have experienced the most significant jump, with each team replacing the reduction of five goals that they've scored in open play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

United have scored twice as many goals from set-pieces as they managed in the first 11 matches the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim assumed control, while Sunderland again are better at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about netting additional goals from set-plays, since they've scored a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have Forest, though this could be because of the change in style they've attempted to adopt.

Overall Patterns

Six clubs – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – are this term's leading trend-followers by scoring fewer scores from open-play and increased from set-plays, while Man City represent the only side to go against the grain up to now by doing the exact opposite.

It will be fascinating to observe if sides continue to place such emphasis on set-plays as matches continue or if they find again their all-round creativity and commence netting more goals in open play also.