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One of the biggest stories of the Premier League this campaign has been the reduction of goals scored in open play and how clubs have been scoring increasingly from dead-ball situations instead.

When we compare scoring methods to the initial 11 matches last season, we see a drop of 39 goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, leading to 13 fewer in total.

Considering the broader view, efforts on goal sides are producing show a staggering drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

And despite the significant rise in set-piece goals, records show a mere two extra shots created from them excluding spot-kicks, indicating how effective sides have been at finding ways to convert from dead-ball chances.

Scoring Rates Show the Tale

Over 300 goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures up to now calculates at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if maintained for all 38 games could be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69).

Yet merely under 200 goals scored in open-play equates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the smallest for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76).

That campaign also marks the only Premier League campaign to experience scoring more frequently from non-penalty set-pieces than this season's rate of 0.77 each match (0.79 average).

What Clubs Account for This Change?

When it comes to goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced by far the biggest decline, registering just four in 11 games, 10 less than this point last season.

Apart from Wolves, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London thing, with half of the London's seven clubs scoring a minimum of five less scores from open play than last season.

In fairness, that's largely down to them scoring many scores at the beginning of last season rather than their genuine struggle to score in open play the current term.

Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with nearly all of their 23 scores this season coming in open-play.

Set-Play Proficiency

Comparing clubs that came up with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded three more scores in open-play than the Saints did in their first 11 games leading to demotion last season.

In terms of scoring from dead-ball situations (excluding spot-kicks), the Gunners and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with both sides compensating for the five less goals that they've scored in open-play with an equal amount from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have netted double the number scores from set-plays as they did in the 11 games last season prior to their coach assumed control, while Sunderland additionally have been better at converting than the club they replaced that went down.

City appear not to have received the trend about scoring more from set-pieces, because they've scored three fewer than last season, as have the Reds, although this may result from the tactical shift they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Tottenham and the Hammers – represent this term's leading trend-followers by recording fewer scores from open play and increased from set-pieces, while Manchester City represent the only side to defy the pattern to date by performing the contrary.

It will be fascinating to watch if clubs persist to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they regain their overall inventiveness and commence netting increased totals in open-play as well.