Premier League Set-Piece Tracker: Who’s Making Corners Count in 2026/27?

The 2025/26 Premier League showed one thing loud and clear: the dead-ball is alive and kicking again. Corners, free-kicks and penalties have become proper battlegrounds, with penalty boxes turning into a weekly scrap for every inch of space.

For the old-school crowd, it felt like a throwback to the Rory Delap era — only this time, nearly every club seems to have a specialist tucked away on the training ground. And with low blocks making life miserable for open-play teams, it’s no surprise set-pieces are being mined for every last point.

Arsenal led the way last season with 26 set-piece goals, but in 2026/27 the early table tells a very different story. The champions have only one to their name so far, while plenty of the league’s biggest sides are underperforming badly in an area they’d normally expect to dominate.

The early strugglers

At the bottom end of this particular chart, Nottingham Forest sit on just one set-piece goal. That came from Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty at Anfield, which tells you all you need to know about their lack of bite from corners and free-kicks. Chris Wood, so often a menace in the air, has yet to deliver the sort of impact Forest need.

Manchester United are also on one, despite qualifying for the Champions League. That is a poor return for a side with Bruno Fernandes supplying the delivery and Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro and Benjamin Sesko all offering size in the box. If Michael Carrick is still finding his feet, fine — but this is one area where United ought to be miles better.

Liverpool are in the same boat. Their only set-piece goal has come via Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty at Newcastle, and that’s not nearly enough for a team with so much quality in dead-ball situations. Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo all have the tools to hurt teams, yet the Reds have been strangely blunt.

Then there’s Arsenal, which is the real eyebrow-raiser. Mikel Arteta’s side were the kings of the craft last season, but this term they’ve only managed a single penalty. Opposition managers have clearly done their homework, and once the element of surprise goes, you need fresh ideas rather than recycled routines.

Spurs, Fulham and the mid-table muddle

Tottenham have also only registered one set-piece goal, though there is at least a bit of logic behind theirs — height, delivery and awkward match-ups can still make them dangerous. The problem, as ever, is consistency. Roberto De Zerbi has the raw ingredients, but the coaching detail has to be sharper if Spurs are to turn promising situations into proper chances.

Fulham are another side with just one set-piece goal so far, and the loss of Harry Wilson has not helped. Even so, Raul Jimenez remains a nuisance and Rodrigo Muniz can contribute too, so there is enough there to suggest improvement is possible if the delivery improves.

Bournemouth are perhaps the oddest case of the lot. They were one of the league’s best set-piece outfits last season, ending up with 19 goals and a European place to show for it. Now, under Marco Rose, they’ve only managed one so far, with injury to Eli Junior Kroupi robbing them of another attacking option. That’s a hefty drop-off and one that will concern them.

Palace, Villa and the importance of personnel

Crystal Palace are in a similar mess. Without Jean-Philippe Mateta, their threat has been blunted, and the numbers suggest the issue starts long before the final header or finish. If you aren’t winning corners and creating repeat pressure, you’re already making life harder for yourselves.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, have had the rug pulled from under them a bit. Unai Emery has lost a few key attacking names, while set-piece guru Austin MacPhee has also departed. That matters more than people think — these details win matches, and once the specialist leaves, the edge can go with him.

The promoted side doing the basics well

Coventry, back in the top flight after years away, at least look like they’ve got the memo. Two set-piece goals may not sound like much, but for a newly-promoted side every goal is gold dust. They’ve been sensible too: get it into the area, force chaos, and make set-pieces count.

And that’s really the lesson here. In a league where so many sides are now coached to death on patterns, blocking runs and delivery zones, set-pieces have become less of a bonus and more of a necessity. best betting sites may talk up form and fixtures, but any serious Premier League watcher knows dead-ball efficiency can be the difference between a decent season and a disastrous one.

We’re still early in 2026/27, of course, but the message is already clear: the clubs who treat set-pieces as a proper weapon — not an afterthought — will pick up vital points. The rest will be left moaning about margins, when really they’ve only got themselves to blame.