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A key narrative of England's top flight this campaign is the drop of goals scored in open play and how sides are finding goals increasingly from set-pieces as an alternative.

Comparing scoring methods to the first 11 games the prior season, we note 39 fewer scored in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 fewer altogether.

Examining overall statistics, the number of shots sides are producing reveal an incredible drop of 370 in open-play than this time previously.

And despite the big increase in set-piece goals, records show only two additional shots created from these situations excluding spot-kicks, demonstrating the efficiency sides are at finding ways to net from dead-ball situations.

Scoring Rates Show the Tale

301 total goals recorded in the first 110 fixtures up to now calculates at 2.74 scores each match, if this persists for the whole season would be the lowest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69).

But just under 200 goals coming in open-play translates to 1.78 per fixture and is on course to be the least for 16 years, since 2009-10 (1.76 per game).

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

Which Sides Are Most Responsible?

When it comes to goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen by far the biggest decline, scoring only four in 11 matches, 10 less than at this stage the previous campaign.

Apart from Wolves, the EPL's decline in open-play scoring is predominantly a London thing, with five out of the city's seven teams netting five or more goals fewer from open play than the previous year.

In fairness, that's largely down to them netting lots of scores at the early stages of last season rather than them really struggling to convert in open-play the current term.

Meanwhile City have recorded the biggest increase, with almost every one of their 23 scores so far coming in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

Comparing newly promoted sides with those that were relegated they replaced. Play-off winners Sunderland have recorded three extra goals in open-play than Southampton did in their first 11 games leading to the drop last season.

When it comes to goals scored from dead-ball situations (not counting spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, with both sides compensating for the reduction of five goals that they've scored in open-play with the same number from dead-ball chances.

Manchester United have netted two times more goals from set-plays as they did in the first 11 matches last season prior to Ruben Amorim assumed control, while the Black Cats again are more successful at scoring than the fellow red-and-whites that went down.

City appear not to have received the message about netting additional goals from set-plays, as they've netted a reduction of three than last season, as have Forest, although this could be because of the altered approach they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six sides – the Gunners, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – represent this season's primary examples by scoring fewer goals from open-play and more from set-pieces, while Manchester City are the sole team to defy the pattern to date by doing the contrary.

It will be fascinating to watch if clubs carry on to depend greatly on set-plays as the season goes on or if they rediscover their overall inventiveness and begin converting additional scores in open play too.