Premier League fans have become used to the constant use of set pieces that have been a mainstay in the top flight since its formation in 1992. Free kicks, corner kicks, penalties, throw-ins and goal-kicks allow teams to make the most of a towering centre forward.
None more so than Rory Delap's unbelievable long throw that would be sent in Peter Crouch's direction when Tony Pulis' pioneering Stoke City wreaked havoc in set-piece situations. Pulis heavily relied on set pieces, and we're seeing the likes of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal and Sean Dyche's Everton follow in his footsteps.
The Gunners are the Premier League's current set-piece tormentors, with Arteta's 'genius' set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, implementing a chaotic corner routine. The North Londoners are well on their way to becoming one of the all-time greatest set-piece teams in English football history.
With that said, GIVEMESPORT ranks the top 11 best set-piece teams to grace the Premier League. Pulis, Dyche, and David Moyes are among the managers whose teams use set pieces as one of their main attributes.
Ranking Factors
Goals Scored (How often set-pieces led to goals)
Reputation (Teams that were renowned for their set-piece mastery)
Variety (Threat posed from varying set-pieces, e.g. throw-ins and free-kicks)
Success (Titles or trophies won or evaded relegation)
11 Greatest Set-Piece Teams In Premier League History
Rank
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11 West Ham United (2017–2024)
David Moyes' Hammers Caused Mayhem
David Moyes West Ham
David Moyes' brand of football can be divisive, but at West Ham United, it got results, including a long-awaited European trophy. The Scot guided the Hammers to the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023, and set-pieces played a key role in that triumph. They were also prominent for the Irons in the Premier League in Moyes' four-and-a-half years at the London Stadium.
West Ham managed a sixth-placed finish in the 2020-01 season and topped the charts with goals from set-pieces (16). Moyes rued Declan Rice's sale, the man he turned to for set-pieces. It's understandable, given that the Hammers' former captain contributes to Arsenal's set-piece dominance.
|David Moyes' PL West Ham Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (112) L (96)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2020-21 (16 Goals)|
|---|
10 Manchester United (2003–2009)
Sir Alex Ferguson's Rampant Red Devils
Ryan Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo
Manchester United have mostly struggled from set-pieces since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, but they were effective during the Scot's reign. The Red Devils already boasted a formidable forward line in the 2000s, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs were unstoppable in dead-ball situations.
The deadly trio often rotated set-piece responsibilities, but this was arguably when Ronaldo thrived most in his career at free-kicks. The Portuguese icon bagged 11 of his 42 goals from set pieces in the 2007-08 season. Giggs and Rooney also caused carnage with deliveries into the box that found Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic.
Set pieces weren't one of Ferguson's main priorities during his illustrious spell at Old Trafford. For this reason, they sit 10th, as the success the team he achieved rested mainly on a dominant and resilient style of play that relished counter-attacking. -
|Manchester United 2003–09 Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (153) L (33)|
|Trophies|Champions League, Premier League x3, FA Cup, League Cup|
|---|
9 Brentford (2021 - present)
Thomas Frank's Bees Used Marginal Gains To Great Effect
Brentford 2022
Brentford's heroic run in the Premier League has come amid Thomas Frank focusing on marginal gains with all set-pieces viewed as an opportunity to score. The Bees relied on their set-piece brilliance in the early stages of their promotion in 2021, using Ivan Toney as the main attacking outlet to either find the net or a teammate from a corner, free-kick or throw-in.
Toney's departure in August 2024 led Frank to adapt and focus on a pacey, interchanging front three instead. This also came after Chelsea stole their London rivals' set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva. The Spaniard was hailed for his work at the Gtech, which included helping the club with two consecutive finishes (fourth and joint-third) among the Premier League's highest-scorers from set-pieces.
|Brentford's Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (45) L (53)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2022-23 (16 Goals)|
|---|
8 Aston Villa (2007–2011)
Martin O'Neill's Tricky Villans' Set-Pieces Go Under The Radar
Aston Villa 2006
One team whose set-piece consistency doesn't get talked about enough was Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, who possessed a glittering variety of attackers. Ashley Young arrived at Villa Park from Watford in 2007 alongside towering new striker John Carew (6ft5in). Young's playmaking abilities and Carew's aerial threat helped the Villans to two top-six finishes until 2010.
Young and former captain Gareth Barry were excellent crossers of the ball, which O'Neill capitalised on when replacing David O'Leary in 2006. In January of the 2007-08 season, Villa had hit 20 of 40 goals from set-pieces, and Martin O'Neill only had one player to applaud:
People are talking about our set-pieces but you have to be able to deliver the ball - and when you have someone as brilliant as Ashley Young, then he can put it on anyone's head.
|Aston Villa's Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (61) L (38)|
|Highest Premier League Finish|Sixth (71 Goals)|
|---|
7 Manchester City (2009-2013)
Roberto Mancini's Cityzens Transformation
Roberto Mancini Man City 2012
Pep Guardiola rightly takes all the plaudits for propelling Manchester City into a European juggernaut, but Roberto Mancini sowed the seeds. Mancini's vision was to tire the opposition with an old-school Italian style that reaped its rewards. But he also improved the Cityzens on the set-piece front, which ultimately kickstarted their Premier League dominance.
City ranked in the top five of the league's highest scorers from set-pieces in three of the four seasons Mancini was in charge. The Italian and his coaching staff's work on the training pitch made history in 2012. Edin Dzeko's vital equaliser in a 3-2 comeback win over QPR to claim City's first-ever title came from David Silva's slick corner.
|Mancini's Man City's Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (82) L (24)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2009-10 (21 Goals)|
|---|
6 Liverpool (2015–2024)
Jurgen Klopp's Reds Shared Set-Piece Creativity
Salah, Henderson and Alexander-Arnold
Some of Liverpool's most iconic moments of Jurgen Klopp's reign at Anfield came from set-pieces. None more so than Trent Alexander-Arnold's quick corner to Divock Origi in 2019, which came en route to a comeback win over Barcelona in the Champions League. Klopp had the dominant Virgil van Dijk to put the opposition under threat from corners, as he did with his winner in the 2024 League Cup final win against Chelsea.
Klopp ended the Merseysiders' 30-year wait for league glory in 2020, and set-pieces played their part. 17 of their 85 goals came from set-pieces, ranking the team joint-first with Manchester City. Alexander-Arnold, the league's all-time top-assisting defender, inch-perfect delivery and Mohamed Salah's usual reliability from the spot were significant assets for the Reds' iconic manager.
|Liverpool's Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (209) L (47)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2018-19 (20 Goals)|
|---|
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5 Everton (2008–2013)
David Moyes's Toffees Were One of The League's Best At Set-Pieces
David Moyes and Marouane Fellaini
A trip to Goodison Park to face David Moyes' Everton was always a daunting prospect for any team. Not least because the Scot built a team that was physically dominant and handy in set-piece scenarios. More often than not, Leighton Baines' excellent left-footed delivery found the towering Marouane Fellaini (6ft4in) or the relentless Tim Cahill.
The dogged and determined Toffees were challenging for the top four then, and their 2007-08 season was one to remember. Moyes' men finished fifth in the league and reached the last 16 of the UEFA and League Cup semifinals. Much of their success under the Scot came through his philosophy of wanting crosses into the box from dead-ball situations or open play.
|David Moyes' Everton (08-13) Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (77) L (47)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2009-10 (17 Goals)|
|---|
4 Manchester City (2018–2023)
Pep Guardiola's Treble Winners
Man City 2022
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are one of, if not the best, teams to grace the Premier League with a particular emphasis on possession. This wasn't their only route to domination under the Spaniard, as they were excellent in set-piece situations, only further improved by Erling Haaland's arrival.
Kevin De Bruyne's delightful right foot often finds Haaland from a corner or a free-kick. The Cityzens have ranked in the Premier League's top five goals from set-pieces in five of their six title triumphs under Guardiola. They have topped the charts twice and can also thank creative gems Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden for their set-piece mastery.
|Pep Guardiola's Man City (18-23) Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (142) L (27)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2021-22 (21 Goals)|
|---|
3 Burnley (2014–2020)
Sean Dyche's Clarets Used Height To Their Advantage
Burnley 2021
Using set-pieces became a trademark of Sean Dyche's brand of football at Burnley, which garnered polarizing responses from fans. The Clarets had one of the tallest squads in the league, with Ben Mee (5ft11in) and James Tarkowski (6ft1in) at the back. After their 2015 promotion, Dyche's side's effectiveness in set-pieces evolved after their seventh-placed finish in the 2017-18 campaign.
The Clarets were the joint-second highest scorers from set pieces the following season with 16 of their 45 goals. 35.6 per cent of their goals came from such situations. Chris Wood (6ft3in) started in the Premier League with the Lancashire outfit and thrived in Dyche's set-piece-based system.
|Burnley Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (58) L (85)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2018-19 (14 Goals)|
|---|
2 Bolton Wanderers (2001–2007)
Sam Allardyce's Data-Driven Trotters
Bolton celebrate
Sam Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers managerial spell deserves more recognition as the English manager guided the Trotters to European qualification in 2004-05. His team boasted several entertaining stars, including Nigerian icon Jay-Jay Okocha and French legend Nicolas Anelka. Allardyce was wrestling with the big boys of English football and took an inventive approach to succeed.
The players need to remember when you go out on the pitch that these are very important times in the game. I think on average more than 30 per cent of Premier League goals come from set plays now. (Allardyce told Sky Sports in 2017)
One main attribute of Allardyce's Bolton was using data analysis to study his team's marginal gains, which he made the most of. This included quick throw-ins and cleverly worked free-kick routines, which caught the opposition napping. It helped that he had Okocha, who was sublime at free-kicks, netting two memorable strikes in a 5-2 win over Aston Villa in the League Cup semifinals in 2004.
|Bolton Wanderers Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (80) L (80)|
|Highest Premier League Finish|Sixth (49)|
|---|
1 Stoke City (2008–2013)
Tony Pulis' Trendsetting Potters
Stoke City 2012
Stoke City were the ultimate set-piece team that used such situations to give their opposition nightmares. Tony Pulis had Peter Crouch up top, netting the most headers in Premier League history, and Rory Delap giving javelin-throwing record-holder Jan Zelezny a run for his money. The Potters were magic during the late 2000s and early 2010s, and Crouch (6ft7in) wasn't the only goalscoring set-piece weapon.
Ryan Shawcross (6ft3in), Robert Huth (6ft3in), and Ricardo Fuller (6ft3in) often outmuscled their marker when Matthew Etherington sent a corner into the box. This helped Pulis cement Stoke as a mid-table battling Premier League outfit, who achieved a set-piece goal ratio of 43.1% from 2008 to 2013. The success of teams such as Arsenal from set-pieces today is always compared to that of the Potters.
|Stoke City Stats|
|Win/Loss Record|W (56) L (77)|
|Highest Scoring Season From Set-Pieces|2010-11 (17 Goals)|
|---|
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All statistics courtesy ofTransfermarktandWhoscored- correct as of 17/12/2024.