BBC Sport
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling said it was a "massive step" that players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on the opening night of the Premier League's return.
Players and staff from Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Manchester City and Arsenal knelt as their matches began.
Match officials also took part, on a night players' names on shirts were replaced with 'Black Lives Matter'.
"It shows we're going in the right direction," Sterling told Sky Sports.
"Little by little we're seeing change. It was natural, it was organic. We saw the teams do it in the earlier kick-off and thought it was something we had to do as well."
The Premier League was returning after a 100-day hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
And players and officials showed their support for the movement for racial equality following the death of George Floyd in the United States last month.
Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, died as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests around the world.
A joint statement issued by Villa and Sheffield United shortly after their match began said they "were proud to stand in solidarity" with the actions of their players and coaching staff in "expressing our collective support for the Black Lives Matter movement".
Both clubs said they hoped they had sent "a strong message of unity" and amplified "the many messages of support from Premier League players and the wider football family".