Rangers and Steven Gerrard might have lost the battle on the pitch but he's hell-bent on winning the war with his uncompromising verdict in the wake of an alleged racist incident.
The Liverpool icon has impressed many with the way he conducts himself and his unflinching support of Glen Kamara will earn him plenty of new followers.
But Gerrard had no interest in a popularity contest as he bristled in the wake of the flashpoint that left his players raging as he searched for an explanation from the Slavia coaching staff after the Europa League clash.
The 40-year-old has thrown his weight behind Kamara after Ondrej Kudela's alleged abuse and his club followed suit with a strongly worded statement on Friday.
Rangers have called for Kamara "not to be another statistic" and for the incident itself "not to be swept under the carpet".
And those thoughts echo what Gerrard himself said in the immediate aftermath of a numbing night as manager of the Ibrox side.
He said: "If I wanted to say something to you on a football pitch, why do I need to cover my mouth and go to the ear?
"It is over to UEFA now this situation and I just hope it doesn’t get brushed under the carpet."
Rangers are anxious to make sure this alleged incident isn't quickly forgotten about but where do the fears come from is the lack of trust in UEFA justified?
The governing body brought in a 10-game ban in 2013 for any player or official found guilty of racist abuse but it wasn't until 2019 that it was used.
Ukrainian goalkeeper Kostyantyn Makhnovskyi - who played for FK Ventspils - was charged over an incident during a Europa League qualifier against Gzira United.
Another figure within the game who had been sweating over a potential 10-game ban was referee Sebastian Coltescu for alleged racist language to Istanbul Basaksehir assistant Pierre Webo during the clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
The incident caused outrage among the players who heard, with the players walking off the pitch in protest.
UEFA game down hard on the Romanian with both he and fellow official Octavian Sovre banned until the end of the season by the governing body's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body.
It was found that Coltescu had used inappropriate language but "did not have the intention to behave in a discriminatory manner" when identifying Pierre Webo as "the black one".
And Coltescu must attend an educational programme before June 30 2021.
The most recent punishment is encouraging and hopefully a sign of things to come with both UEFA an FIFA coming for criticism for how they deal with racism on the pitch and in the stands.
Rangers' quest for justice won't be easy however, with Kudela covering his mouth and a lack of definitive proof to support the claims made by Kamara and raging team-mate Bongani Zungu.
But, clear evidence or otherwise, the anger and recriminations that followed Thursday's game cannot be allowed to seep into the beautiful game.
The urgency in Rangers' statement is welcome and their insistence on not taking a backwards step could be the right tactic in ushering in real change.
Gerrard and his club certainly hope that is the case.
