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A major talking point of the Premier League this campaign concerns the decline of goals scored in open play and how clubs are finding goals increasingly from set-plays instead.

Looking at scoring methods to matchday 11 the prior season, we note 39 fewer scored in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 fewer overall.

Considering the bigger picture, efforts on goal teams are taking show an incredible 370 fewer in open-play than at this stage previously.

Regardless of the big increase in set-piece goals, we've actually seen only two additional attempts created from them excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the proficiency clubs are at finding ways to net from dead-ball situations.

Goal Averages Show an Interesting Narrative

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

But just 196 goals scored in open play translates to 1.78 each match and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

2009-10 is also the sole English top-flight season to witness goals scored more often from non-penalty set-pieces than the current rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to scoring from open-play, Wolves have recorded the most significant decline, registering only four in 11 games, 10 fewer than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolverhampton, England's top division's fall in open-play scoring is very much a London thing, with five out of the city's seven teams netting at least five less scores from open play than the previous year.

To be fair, this is mainly because them netting numerous scores at the beginning of last season rather than them having difficulty to score in open-play this campaign.

Conversely Manchester City have experienced the biggest increase, with almost every one of their 23 scores this season arriving in open play.

Set-Piece Success

Comparing newly promoted sides with the teams that went down that they superseded. Play-off winners the Black Cats have netted three more scores in open play than the Saints did in their first 11 games leading to relegation the previous campaign.

In terms of goals scored from set-pieces (excluding spot-kicks), Arsenal and the Blues have experienced the largest rise, with each team compensating for the five less scores that they've netted in open-play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Man United have scored two times more scores from set-pieces as they managed in the 11 games last season ahead of the manager took over, while Sunderland again are better at netting than the fellow red-and-whites they replaced.

Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about scoring more from set-pieces, because they've scored three less than the previous campaign, as have Forest, although that might be down to the altered approach they have tried to implement.

Overall Patterns

Six teams – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – are this term's top trend-setters by scoring fewer goals from open play and additional from set-pieces, while Manchester City stand as the unique club to buck the trend to date by achieving the exact opposite.

It remains to be seen to see if clubs carry on to rely so heavily on set-plays as the season goes on or if they find again their general attacking flair and start scoring increased totals in open-play also.