The Premier League table for open play goals in 2025-26: Where do Arsenal rank? | OneFootball

Only three teams in the Premier League have scored fewer open-play goals than the league leaders Arsenal so far this season.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have scored 68% of their total goals this season from set pieces, which is by a comfortable distance the highest proportion of any team in England’s top flight.

The big stylistic shift, in which the heavy favourites for the title rely so heavily on set pieces, and most sides adopting regular long throws, has sparked a widespread debate on social media and among the most prominent pundits.

“I used to like that dynamic of the game,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on a recent episode of Monday Night Football.

“I am frustrated with the fact that I feel like every team this season has taken a long throw at some stage. You see the numbers and it’s off the scale.”

Carra’s regular sparring partner Gary Neville responded to those comments in his Stick To Football podcast:

“I thought it was really interesting because to be fair I disagree with the point, but he’s not here – I wish he was here,” he said.

“He said he hates long throws and somebody else said it yesterday. They hate long throws. I’m like I love long throws.”

Carragher then took to social media to clarify his comments, suggesting he’d been misquoted by Neville.

“For the 100th time I didn’t say I hate set pieces or long throws!!!!” he posted on X.

“What I don’t like is every team taking long throws, and the time it’s taking out of the game. I totally get teams doing it who struggle & lack quality of getting the ball in the box, I also like seeing how teams. cope with them.”

“But teams who have great technical players & have spent 100 millions on them should be getting the ball in play as quick as they can to get these players on the ball. I’m no football snob but this is taking the game backwards!”

Critics on social media have said Arsenal will be “the most boring champions ever”, while former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has said that Arsenal’s influence has “killed the Premier League in terms of fluid football and enjoyable football.”

But do the numbers back up their argument?

Here’s the full Premier League table for open play goals scored in 2025-26 so far: