The Premier League has placed a growing emphasis on dead-ball situations, with clubs seeking an edge through specialist coaching, rehearsed routines and more deliberate preparation for restarts. The trend is reflected in a rise in non-penalty set-piece goals and a decline in open-play scoring averages.
Set-piece coaches are now employed by 15 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs. Their work includes implementing techniques and devising routines that are refined through training-ground practice and repetition, while teams are also taking more time to organise during matches.
The shift towards set-piece efficiency
This season, non-penalty set-piece goals have averaged 0.8 per game, up from 0.6 last term and roughly 50 per cent above the 0.5 per game average in 2020/21. Over the same period, open-play goals have moved in the opposite direction: the current average of 1.8 per game is down from 2.2 last season and 2.4 in the campaign before that.
The increased focus has changed the composition of coaching staffs. Brentford promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews to head coach when he replaced Thomas Frank, while Arsenal have had success with Nicolas Jover and recently hired former Liverpool throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark. According to Opta, the average time spent preparing for corners has increased from 26 seconds in 2016/17 to 36 seconds this term.
Arsenal lead, while Liverpool struggle
Arsenal have led the league for non-penalty set-piece goals in each of the previous two seasons and were again top at the time of the primary analysis, with 14, one more than Manchester United. Chelsea and Leeds each had 12, while Liverpool had scored only three non-penalty set-piece goals. Arsenal’s net set-piece total was +9, having scored 14 and conceded five, while Liverpool’s was -10.
Later Opta figures published after the matches on March 1 showed that 27.5 per cent of Premier League goals in 2025/26 had come from set pieces. The same figures listed Arsenal on 19 set-piece goals and 14.61 xG, with Newcastle United on 14 goals and 14.58 xG. Those figures can be found in Opta data published by 101 Great Goals.
Why inswinging corners matter
Corner delivery profiles provide one explanation for the difference between the leading and trailing sides. Opta recorded 77 goals from inswinging corners this season, compared with 11 from outswingers. Inswingers also had the higher conversion rate, with 5.3 per cent leading to goals compared with 3.6 per cent of outswingers.
Arsenal have taken 81 per cent of their corners as inswingers and sent 58 per cent into the six-yard box. Tottenham Hotspur have used inswingers for 83 per cent of their corners and had the league’s only better corner conversion rate than Arsenal at the time of the analysis. Liverpool, by contrast, had the lowest proportion of inswinging corners, at 48 per cent, and directed only 36 per cent of their corners into the six-yard box.
Inswingers can target the six-yard area, placing direct pressure on goalkeepers and creating close-range opportunities from flicks and headers. Arsenal’s approach was evident when Ben White headed in an inswinging Declan Rice delivery against Chelsea, while Gabriel bundled home Bukayo Saka’s centre against Aston Villa.
Long throws create another route to goal
Long throw-ins have also become more prominent. The Premier League average has more than doubled to nearly four long throws per game. Brentford launched the most, becoming the first side to reach 100 long throws for the campaign. Their long throws had led to three goals, jointly the most in the league alongside Crystal Palace and Sunderland.
Leeds ranked top for both shots and expected goals from long throws. From 75 long throws, Leeds produced 28 shots worth 3.46 xG. Brentford generated 27 shots worth 2.73 xG from 100 long throws, meaning Leeds produced more shots and xG despite taking 25 fewer long throws.
Defensive costs of set-piece weakness
Liverpool’s problems extended to defensive restarts. At the time of the primary analysis, they had conceded 13 set-piece goals, the joint-second highest total in the division behind Bournemouth’s 14. Later figures put Liverpool on 15 set-piece goals conceded; only Bournemouth and West Ham, with 16 each, had conceded more.
Liverpool’s marking setup has combined man-to-man assignments with three players in zonal positions. The arrangement can leave an overload outside the penalty area, as illustrated by Harrison Reed’s equaliser for Fulham from a throw-in situation. The primary analysis noted that many of Liverpool’s set-piece concessions had come from second balls struck by opponents in space.
By the later Opta figures, 40.54 per cent of Liverpool’s goals conceded had come from set pieces. Only Chelsea, at 42.42 per cent, had a higher proportion. The figures underline the importance of both attacking routines and defensive organisation as clubs continue to search for gains from dead-ball situations.
