STEVEN GERRARD was no stranger to a successful night in Europe during his tenure as Rangers boss.

But perhaps none quite compare to the Ibrox side's victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Gerrard was quick to show his support to his former club as he shared an image of Rangers players celebrating with an avatar with stars in the eyes on Instagram following the superb result.

And he has explained his message on social media when quizzed over it - he also took the opportunity to downplay any excuses from the Germany giants.

He commented: "I was just paying my respect to a real high-end performance.

"Listen, they were fantastic and it was really great to watch that performance.

"The level they produced, they very much deserved it.

"I don't buy into this, 'Oh Dortmund weren't at their best and never had Haaland and blah, blah, blah'. They were second best and Rangers certainly deserved their night.

"It was a special night for everyone connected to the club and obviously, being the ex-manager, I just wanted to pay my respect as well."