Steven Gerrard outlined his 'admiration' for Arsenal after their players made an anti-racist statement ahead of their clash with Slavia Prague.
The Gunners dismissed the Czech side to reach the semi-finals with goals from Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka sealing a rampant 4-0 victory on the night.
The tie came just days after Slavia defender Ondrej Kudela was hit with a ten-game ban for racially abusing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in the previous round.
Arsenal made no secret of their stance on racism heading into the game.
While many teams have now decided against taking the knee ahead of matches, Mikel Arteta's players made a point of honouring the gesture.
Away captain Lacazette led the protest and it made for a powerful image as Slavia players stood at the halfway line.
What followed was a vintage Arsenal performance, and Gerrard was full of praise for their conduct both on and off the pitch.
"I loved everything about Arsenal's performance," the Rangers boss said.
"I admired their approach before the game, during the game and after it and I'm sure Glen did as well. The way players and manager spoke and then to back it up with that performance."
Arteta has since revealed that the decision to take the knee was made by the players, who asked the club for permission ahead of the match.
He said: “They asked me and the club that they wanted to take that initiative. They had the right reasons for it, so the club was very supportive. I think it was a good gesture.
“We spoke with the club to make sure we could follow the rules of Uefa and we can do it in the right way.
"We decided to take that approach, which I really like from the players, and I must say UEFA was very supportive as well. The captains came to me and asked me to do that, and I just supported them like the club did.”
