After years of football teams around the world trying to tiki-taka their way to success after the glory enjoyed by Pep Guardiola’s iconic Barcelona side, it now seems set-pieces and long throws are back in vogue. In this 2025/2026 Premier League season, teams are scoring from dead-ball situations at a rate never seen before, with title contenders Arsenalarguably the biggest exponent of it.
Indeed, former Liverpool star and now Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, expressed his shock at just how dominant the Gunners have been from set-pieces.
“I’m a Liverpool supporter, I’m watching Arsenal and every time they get a corner, my head is in my hands. I’ve never seen anything like this before in football. I think the whole football world feel every time they get a corner, they’re going to score a goal.”
But it’s not just Mikel Arteta’s side who have looked to make their mark with set-pieces this season. Whether it’s through a barrage of corners and free-kicks, or teams channeling their inner Stoke City and finding their best imitation of a Rory Delap, more and more Premier League sides are seeing dead-ball situations as a bigger priority than ever before. But just how many goals have come as a result of it?
Well, below is a look at every Premier League club in this 2025/2026 season, and a breakdown of all the goals they have scored from set-pieces, including from corners, free-kicks and penalties.
20 Wolves
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 3
It’s been a difficult first half of the Premier League season to say the least for Wolves, having yet to find their first win of the campaign. Vitor Pereira pulled off the impossible when he rescued the club from what looked to be a certain relegation back to the Championship, but after struggling to replicate that form this time around, saw him part ways. Much will depend on the form and fitness of Jorgen Stand Larsen, who, with his frame of 6 foot 4, will surely be a big target at set-pieces over the course of this season.
19 Liverpool
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 4
Liverpool’s first two set-piece goals in the Premier League this season come courtesy of some late drama. First, it was Dominik Szoboszlai’s incredible free-kick against Arsenal in the 82nd minute that secured all three points for the Reds against their title rivals. Then, Mohamed Salah converted a spot-kick deep into injury time to once again claim a victory against Burnley. Given the Reds also have the likes of Virgil van Dijk coming up for corners and free-kicks, you’d be forgiven for expecting Arne Slot’s men to be closer to the top of the list than they currently are.
18 Nottingham Forest
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 5
It has been a campaign of real turmoil for Nottingham Forest thus far, with first Nuno Espirito Santo departing, and then Ange Postecoglou being sacked. Evangelos Marinakis decided to turn to Sean Dyche, who has worked wonders before with the likes of Burnley and Everton in the Premier League.
Known for getting teams defensively solid, Dyche will also relish the prospect of working on set-pieces with a number of Forest players who are very good in the air to say the least – the likes of Chris Wood and Nikola Milenkovic, in particular, look set to thrive under their new manager when it comes to corners and free-kicks.
17 Burnley
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 6
When Burnley first made their foray into the Premier League under Sean Dyche, set-pieces and direct play were understandably one of the keys behind the Clarets’ continued survival in the division. Now back in the top-flight under Scott Parker, Burnley could do with being strong at set-pieces again and really making the most out of the fine margins. They haven’t been as effective as they would have liked from set-pieces, though, having scored just six in the opening half of the campaign.
16 Everton
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 6
Unsurprisingly, given that David Moyes is back at the helm, Everton are back to being a menace in set-piece situations. Michael Keane was the beneficiary of a delicious delivery from James Garner to net against West Ham in September, and then again in the 2-0 victory over Fulham. The Toffees will no doubt relish the prospect of sending some of their big defenders up for corners on a regular basis.
15 Manchester City
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 7
UEFA Champions League – Manchester City v Napoli – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – September 18, 2025 Manchester City’s Erling Haaland celebrates scoring their first goal with Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Erling Haaland, one of the best strikers in the world right now, missed from the spot in the 3-0 victory over title rivals Liverpool in November. That would have made their tally of seven set-piece goals look far more healthy, but alas, Pep Guardiola loves to dominate matches without the need to focus too heavily on corners and free-kicks. Pass them to death, is his mantra, and he continues to live and die by that sword.
14 Fulham
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 7
Marco Silva has quietly built an impressive side at Fulham that has seen the Cottagers target an ambitious European spot for the 2025/2026 Premier League season. While they may no longer have Aleksandr Mitrovic up front, they do have the likes of Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz, who have both shown real capabilities when balls are delivered into the air. Given they also possess a number of quality dribblers in their ranks – the likes of Kevin and Alex Iwobi, to name a couple – Fulham may also be in the running for the most penalties awarded to them too.
13 West Ham
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 7
In previous seasons, West Ham were considered one of the Premier League’s big threats from set-pieces. While Tomas Soucek remains at the London Stadium, the Hammers haven’t quite been at the same level from corners to start off the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign. However, they scored from a couple in the 3-2 victory at home to newly-promoted Burnley, and Nuno Espirito Santo will be desperately hoping that it is a sign of things to come for the Hammers.
12 Tottenham Hotspur
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 8
Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain – October 19, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/David Klein
Now that Thomas Frank is boss, Tottenham have unsurprisingly been one of the better teams at trying to carve out opportunities from dead-ball situations. Whether it’s the long throw-in from Kevin Danso, or corners whipped into the area for the likes of Cristian Romero to attack, Spurs have a new-found focus on set-pieces that they didn’t really have under Ange Postecoglou last season. Micky van de Ven was one of the latest beneficiaries of this new emphasis when he bundled home two set-piece goals vs Everton.
11 Brighton and Hove Albion
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 8
Brighton continue to underline their credentials as one of the most exciting teams in the league, and have been richly rewarded for their directness. Two Seagulls have converted their spot-kicks this season, first Matt O’Riley netting the club’s first goal of the campaign when he did so against Fulham. Then, James Milner helped equalise in Brighton’s clash against his former club Manchester City, although the home side would go on to claim all three points in the fixture. Two further set-pieces weren’t enough to secure a result at Old Trafford, even if Danny Welbeck’s free-kick was a beauty.
10 Brentford
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 8
In a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Igor Thiago notched Brentford’s only goal of the game via a spot-kick, before Fabio Carvalho scored a vintage Bees goal in the enthralling 2-2 draw against Chelsea. A long throw-in was flicked on, with the Portuguese starlet striking him from close range to secure a miraculous point at the death.
Brentford enjoyed great success from set-pieces under Thomas Frank and that has continued under Keith Andrews. They showed their throw-in process in the win over Newcastle at home, while no team has won more penalties than the Bees’ tally of five.
9 Bournemouth
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 8
Bournemouth have been one of the league’s most entertaining teams over the past 12 to 18 months, with Andoni Iraola’s side showing a real high-pressing game focused on getting their most exciting players, like Antoine Semenyo, the ball as quickly as possible. That hasn’t meant they’ve taken their eye off the set-piece game though, scoring eight times in total, with two of them coming from the spot.
8 Sunderland
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 8
Without doubt the most impressive team out of the Premier League’s new boys, Sunderland have been making a real competitive go at trying to stay in the division this season. Granit Xhaka’s left-foot has given them a valuable weapon when it comes to taking set-pieces, and he contributed to a massive goal in the victory over Nottingham Forest when his free-kick was headed home by centre-back Omar Alderete. They then scored from a long free-kick taken by Robin Roefs in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light, with former Gunner, Dan Ballard, lashing home from close-range after a scramble in the box.
7 Aston Villa
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 9
Unai Emery’s side have finally got going with set-pieces after a start to the Premier League season that saw them pose little threat. Their impressive 4-0 victory over Bournemouth just before the November international break saw Emi Buendia score from a free-kick, and then Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans score off the back a couple of corners. Aston Villa do have some aerial threats in their team, with Amadou Onana, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres all serious dangers to opposition defences.
6 Newcastle United
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 11
After a summer in which Newcastle Unitedfans had to watch Alexander Isak force his way to Liverpool, the Magpies have been left pleasantly surprised by the ease at which Nick Woltemade has settled into life in English football. The German has played a crucial role in the Tyneside club having another genuine presence in the air when it comes to set-pieces, while he also showed off his penalty-taking techniques when he scored against Nottingham Forest earlier in October.
5 Crystal Palace
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 11
Flying high under Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace have simply continued where they left off from the 2024/2025 season when they won the FA Cup at the expense of Manchester City. The Eagles boast an in-form number nine in Jean-Philippe Mateta, and the Frenchman, along with the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah have only served to add to their set-piece threat. Indeed, it was from a long throw that was flicked on from Marc Guehi that saw Nketiah fire home the winner against Premier League champions Liverpool.
Then, in the clash against Brentford, Mateta scored a fantastic looping header into the far corner after Jefferson Lerma headed it back across from a long free-kick from Yeremy Pino. A throw-in in the second-half then caused chaos that Nathan Collins inadvertently diverted in to seal a 2-0 win for the Eagles at home.
4 Chelsea
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 12
Fourth on this list and not far away from top spot, are Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s side have added set-pieces as another string to their bow, and they showcased that talent early on in the Premier League season through the likes of Joao Pedro. The Blues are blessed with some serious technicians in their squad who can deliver inch-perfect crosses when needed, while Pedro Neto struck home a superb free-kick against Nottingham Forest to underline just how good he is with his left-foot on dead-ball situations too.
3 Manchester United
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 13
It is remarkable to think that amid all the turmoil and criticism that surrounded Ruben Amorim and Manchester United, their recent victory over Newcastle has them firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
The Red Devils have looked a serious threat from set-pieces, and their winner against Liverpool at Anfield came courtesy of a recycled corner that came out to Bruno Fernandes, who volleyed it back into the box with pinpoint accuracy to find Harry Maguire to head home.
Given United generally play with three centre-backs and have a towering and aerially dominant striker in Benjamin Sesko, it’s no surprise the club rank highly for set-piece goals this season, and they added to that tally by netting from two in their 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest away from home and then again with a last-minute equaliser against Tottenham.
2 Arsenal
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 13
Arsenal have been causing havoc from dead-ball situations for a long time now – much to the chagrin of some pundits. Gabriel has been the main exponent of the Gunners’ unrivalled ability at set-pieces, either scoring from them himself like he did against Newcastle, or pulling away markers for one of his teammates to have an even better chance at goal.
Coupled with Declan Rice’s ever-increasing quality at taking corners and free-kicks, and Nicolas Jover’s growing reputation as arguably the best set-piece coach in the world, and you can see why Arsenal are so intent on maximising dead-ball opportunities at every turn.
1 Leeds United
Set-Piece Goals Scored: 14
Leeds United got their Premier League campaign off to the perfect start thanks to a penalty from debutant Lukas Nmecha, who netted from the spot in the 84th minute to claim all three points against Everton. Daniel Farke will be keen to exploit set-piece situations to the maximum, especially when you consider he has the kind of striker in Dominic Calvert-Lewin who thrives off balls into the box. If Leeds can keep him fit and firing over the course of the entire Premier League season, then the Whites have a serious chance of staying up this campaign.