Gerrard's handling of the situation drew praise on social media from Liverpool fans

Steven Gerrard stepped in to shut down Martin Keown after the Arsenal legend took aim at Graeme Souness live on TNT Sports.

The ex-Ibrox boss was on punditry duty at the Allianz Arena as he dissected Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich.

As Gerrard praised Declan Rice’s late equaliser, Keown interrupted in an attempt to drag him into a row with Souness over whether the England midfielder is “world class”.

Souness has been scathing in his assessment of Rice lately, branding him "limited" and a "steady Eddie" following England’s World Cup exit.

And as Gerrard waxed lyrical about Rice’s display in Munich, Gunners icon Keown chipped in: "But this nonsense about him not being a top midfield player..."

But Gerrard refused to be drawn into a war of words with fellow Liverpool and Rangers great Souness, swiftly cutting across Keown’s attempted pile-on.

He said: "Oh, forget about that. Declan Rice is a world-class midfielder and that was a top, top goal.

“You’re thinking about things that are going on in your life. 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.”

Gerrard’s response earned praise on social media, with one fan saying: "Martin Keown was getting ready to fire back at Souness…. Gerrard nipped it in the bud quickly."

Another said: "He actually thought Stevie would join in with him ganging up on Souness."

A third added: "Says a lot about Gerrard for standing up for Souness here. And he did it in such a smart way. He stopped him from taking shots at Souness.

"And then he expressed that he actually agrees with Keown about Rice to fully end it. Pretty smart especially as it was live on TV on the spot."