The former Rangers boss wasn't interested in reopening old scores after Rice's stunning late equaliser earned Arsenal a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich. Instead, Gerrard moved swiftly to shut down a line of debate that appeared destined to revisit Souness' past criticism of the England star.

Keown, a long-time admirer of Rice and one of the loudest voices against Souness' assessments of the midfielder, looked ready to make his point when he said: "But this nonsense about him not being a top midfield player..."

He got no further.

Gerrard immediately stepped in and effectively put the discussion to bed before it had even begun.

"Forget about that," the Liverpool icon fired back. "Declan Rice is a world-class midfielder and that was a top, top goal."

The ex-Ibrox gaffer wasn't done there. Sensing Keown was trying to drag the conversation back towards old arguments, Gerrard delivered another firm response.

"You're thinking about things that are going on in your life," he said. "Declan Rice is a world-class midfielder and that was a top, top goal. But you don't have to prove that because of all the other stuff that's going on on all your other shows."

The pointed remark appeared to reference Keown's well-publicised disagreements with broadcasters and pundits over Rice, including repeated clashes involving Souness.

Rather than allowing the Arsenal legend to relitigate the debate, Gerrard slammed the brakes on. The former Rangers manager refused to let Souness become the target and instead focused solely on Rice's brilliance.

Fans loved the intervention, with many on social media hailing Gerrard for giving Keown short shrift and refusing to turn Rice's moment of magic into another chapter of the long-running Souness row.