Premier League Set Pieces 2025/26: Who Owns What

Cole Palmer has converted all five of his penalties this season, the only taker in the division sustaining a 100% record at meaningful volume. At the other end, Danny Welbeck sits at 60% from five attempts — below the league average of 75-78% and worth monitoring if Brighton face a shootout situation or another penalty inside their next three matches.

Penalty Picture

Igor Thiago leads the division in penalty attempts with seven, converting six for an 85.71% rate — right at the elite threshold. His role at Brentford appears confirmed and the conversion rate is sustainable. Elsewhere, Haaland remains undisputed at City and Salah at Liverpool; neither requires further qualification. The Palace switch to Mateta post-Eze and Everton's shift to Ndiaye are still provisional — treat both as unconfirmed until they face spot-kick situations.

Free Kick Liability

The direct free kick numbers across this division are, bluntly, poor. Declan Rice leads in volume with 25 attempts and zero goals. Bruno Fernandes has taken 24 with the same return. Elliott Anderson at Nottingham Forest has managed 22 combined attempts across two data entries — still nothing. These are not small samples. At some point, zero conversion from 15-plus attempts stops being a drought and becomes a data point about delivery quality or shot placement.

The corner picture follows the same pattern: Phil Foden leads with 66 taken, Rice and Szoboszlai close behind. Direct corner conversion is low by design in the Premier League — this is primarily about delivery into dangerous areas, not direct scoring — but the volume confirms which clubs are set-piece active and generating second-ball opportunities.

Watch for: whether Welbeck is displaced as Brighton's designated taker if his conversion rate doesn't recover, and whether any club moves away from Rice or Fernandes on direct free kicks given the volume of scoreless attempts now on record.