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One of the biggest stories of England's top flight season so far concerns the reduction of goals scored in open play and the way teams are netting increasingly from set-plays as an alternative.

Comparing how goals have been scored to the initial 11 matches last season, there have been a drop of 39 goals in open play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less in total.

If we look at overall statistics, shot attempts teams are taking have seen an incredible drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.

Regardless of the notable jump in set-piece goals, records show just two more attempts created from them excluding penalties, demonstrating the proficiency clubs are at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball chances.

Goal Statistics Show an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals notched in 110 matches to date averages out at nearly 2.75 goals per fixture, if maintained for all 38 games could be the smallest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69 average).

Yet merely 196 scores scored in open-play averages out 1.78 per fixture and is heading to be the least for since 2009-10, from 16 years ago (1.76 per game).

That campaign additionally represents the sole English top-flight season to see scoring more frequently from dead-balls without spot-kicks than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 per fixture (0.79).

Which Sides Bear the Most Responsibility?

When it comes to goals scored from open-play, Wolves have seen the most significant decrease, registering only four in their first 11 fixtures, a reduction of 10 than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolves, England's top division's fall in open-play scoring is largely a London thing, with half of the capital's seven sides netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open-play than the previous year.

Honestly, this is primarily due to them netting many scores at the early stages of last season as opposed to their genuine struggle to find the net in open-play this season.

Conversely Manchester City have seen the largest rise, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored this season arriving in open play.

Dead-Ball Dominance

We've compared the promoted teams with the teams that went down they replaced. Play-off winners the Black Cats have recorded three extra goals in open play than Southampton managed in their first 11 games on their way to demotion the previous campaign.

In terms of goals scored from dead-ball situations (aside from penalties), the Gunners and the Blues have recorded the largest rise, with both sides replacing the five less scores that they've netted in open play with the same number from dead-ball situations.

Manchester United have netted two times more scores from set-plays as they achieved in the 11 games last season prior to the manager took charge, while the Black Cats additionally have been better at netting than the similar-colored team they replaced.

Manchester City seem unaware of the message about scoring more from set-plays, because they've scored three fewer than the previous campaign, as have the Reds, though this may result from the altered approach they're working to install.

Overall Patterns

Six sides – Arsenal, the Blues, the Cottagers, Newcastle, Spurs and the Hammers – represent the current campaign's top trend-setters by scoring fewer scores from open play and additional from set-pieces, while City are the only side to go against the grain up to now by performing the exact opposite.

It will be interesting to see if teams continue to place such emphasis on set-pieces as the season goes on or if they find again their all-round creativity and start converting more goals in open play also.