Watch: Saul scores first career Chelsea goal against Luton Town in FA Cup

The midfielder finally opened his account amid a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge

Saul has scored his first-career Chelsea goal as he curled in a shot from the top of the box against Luton Town in the FA Cup on Wednesday.

It's been an unsteady first season with the Blues for the midfielder, who joined last summer on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Wednesday marked Saul's 17th appearance with Chelsea.

Article continues below

Watch: Saul's first Chelsea goal

Saul's difficult Chelsea season

From the start, Saul has come under fire for his struggles handling the pace of English football, with boss Thomas Tuchel acknowledging on multiple occasions that the player needed to step up.

While he was brought in as squad depth, the Blues still expected him to play an important part in the campaign given his background as a star at Atletico Madrid.

Next Match

"Does he struggle? Yes, he struggles," Tuchel told reporters in December.

"Was he the first player to struggle in the Premier League? No and he won't be the last one. We protect our players and I will protect our players always. He played yesterday as a No.6, No.9 and as a wing-back.

"Is that fair to him? No, also it is not. Put it into context and you will have a more moderate picture and reaction.

"It is why I protect myself and you can get carried away. I can only hope Saul does not read it and why should he? He knows what he needs to do to improve and he is doing everything.

"He struggles at the moment and we are still trying to find the best version of him and will not stop pushing."

Now, though, Saul at least has a goal to his name from which he will try to build up his confidence.