Khadija Shaw celebrated the first of her two goals in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Liverpool by performing a Black Power salute.

The Jamaican made her first appearance in the starting line-up since withdrawing from the League Cup semi-final against Arsenal earlier this month after receiving racist abuse.

Shaw took her first chance of the Women’s Super League fixture in customary clinical fashion and then stood with her head bowed and fist raised in the air.

The gesture was made famous by American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Olympics in 1968 as a stand against racism.

Shaw doubled City’s advantage with an emphatic finish 13 minutes later and Jill Roord and Gracie Prior, who was making her full league debut, both scored in the second half as City claimed a vital victory in their push for Champions League football.

With wins for Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea above them this weekend, City knew they had to respond and boss Gareth Taylor signalled his intent by starting Shaw and Vivianne Miedema.

Twenty-year-old defender Prior also came in with Kerstin Casparij sitting out the contest following a concussion, while Liverpool were without suspended winger Olivia Smith.

City’s first real moment of threat came in the 10th minute when Aoba Fujino latched onto a deep cross but saw her effort deflected onto the inside of the near post and then cleared from in front of the line.

Yui Hasegawa drove towards goal on the follow-up but her shot was pushed behind by Teagan Micah.

Liverpool then created two of the best chances of the half, with Leanne Kiernan shooting wide of the near post in the 14th minute before being played clean through.

The forward fell to the turf after being challenged by Ayaka Yamashita but penalty appeals were waved away and the ball fell to Sophie Roman Haug, whose shot was cleared off the line by Rebecca Knaak.

There was tension around the Joie Stadium with City ponderous in attack before a moment of quality unlocked Liverpool.

Mary Fowler’s clever ball into the middle of the box found Shaw onside and the striker sent her shot unerringly into the bottom corner.

That allowed the hosts to relax a bit and Miedema headed over the bar before Fowler again set up Shaw, squaring for the WSL’s top scorer to control and acrobatically volley into the same corner.

The second half saw City completely dominate, with Fujino and Miedema both going close before Roord volleyed in off the inside of a post in the 60th minute.

That prompted Taylor to bring off Shaw to loud applause and there were more cheers in the 77th minute as Prior attempted a deep cross from the right only to see it drop over Micah and inside the far post.

It took until the 85th minute for Liverpool to test Yamashita again, the City keeper twice saving well from substitute Cornelia Kapocs, while Kerolin was denied a fifth for City when her shot struck the post.