If Brendan Rodgers needed a reference for Yevhen Konoplyanka then his captain could provide a compelling one.

Steven Gerrard's last-ditch lunge at Wembley in September 2012 was not enough to prevent the Ukrainian attacker from firing past the despairing reach of England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The Three Lions' World Cup qualifying campaign, just one game old, was already on shaky ground.

Konoplyanka, 24, announced himself on the international stage in the most recent qualifiers and is now the subject of interest from the Reds.

After the bitter disappointment of losing out to Chelsea for Basel wide-man Mohamed Salah, Liverpool have gone elsewhere for a versatile forward who operates mainly on the left but can play on the opposite flank and in behind the main striker.

The Reds have opened talks with Konoplyanka's club Dnipro about whether a deal can be struck before the transfer window deadline at 11pm on Friday.

In pictures: Liverpool target Yevhen Konoplyanka

Rodgers revealed last night that he remained hopeful of landing a "major signing" and discussions are underway about prising the Ukrainian from his homeland.

Dnipro, based in the city of Dnipropetrovsk, finished fourth in the Ukrainian Premier League last season to qualify for the Europa League.

Fierce rivals of Metalist Kharkiv, Dnipro are said to be controlled by the Privat Group, an organisation that is reportedly ran by three billionaire businessmen.

Reports suggest that the 24-year-old would command a transfer upwards of £15m, even though he has just one year left on his contract, but a potential deal is not that far advanced at present.

Known for his dribbling skills and speed Konoplyanka - managed by former Spurs boss Juande Ramos at Dnipro - has been labelled, perhaps unhelpfully, as the 'Ukrainian Messi'.

But there is no doubting the buzz which surrounds him.

Konoplyanka was part of his country’s 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad but progressed further into the senior ranks at Euro 2012.

The pacy forward played in all three of Ukraine’s Euro group games - including against England - but really made his mark a few months earlier as they set out on the road to Brazil.

Konoplyanka also starred in Ukraine’s World Cup play-off games with France in November.

Reaction to the Merseyside derby:

Here is James Pearce's LFC verdict as the Reds run riot and click for Greg O'Keeffe's EFC match report.  

Click here to re-read our live blog from yesterday with build-up throughout the day and commentary from the match. 

And we've got in-depth analysis from Dave Prentice here and Neil Jones here