was unable to obtain information regarding Kanchelskis' transfers as the owner of Shakhtar, Akhat Bragin, had been murdered with an explosive device. The Independent later uncovered that Bragin had stolen over £500k in 1991 when Kanchelskis had transferred to United, money which had been deposited into a Swiss bank account by Manchester United, a fact which was only realised by other Shakhtar officials, including Ravil Safiullin, when Kanchelskis transferred to Everton. Kanchelskis, who was contracted to Scottish team Rangers by the time of Ferguson's allegations, denied any involvement, and said Essaoulenko hadn't been his agent since 1991. Having missed the Charity Shield curtain raiser against Blackburn due to the delay of the transfer, he made his debut in the match against Southampton, with Everton winning 2–0, their first win of the season. During his first game against Manchester United, since he joined Everton, in early September, Kanchelskis suffered a shoulder injury early into the game following a late tackle by Sharpe, and was substituted off after 14 minutes in an eventual 3–2 defeat. He returned to action against Bolton Wanderers a month later, missing two chances to score in a 1–1 draw. He rapidly gained cult status with Everton supporters especially after his two goals against Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Anfield, his first for the club, ensured a 2–1 win, Everton's first triumph at the stadium since 1986. A week later, he put in a Man of the Match performance in a 2–2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, scoring Everton's first three minutes into injury time in the first half, before assisting the equaliser for Daniel Amokachi. His first season with the club saw him score 16 goals, including 10 goals in the last 10 matches, to cap a season of excellent performances which made him arguably the best right-winger in the country; his 16 goals was the Everton goalscoring joint-record in the Premier League, shared with Tony Cottee, for 20 years until Romelu Lukaku broke the record in 2016. On 24 February 1996, Kanchelskis scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win against Nottingham Forest, which moved them into 7th place for the first time since August, increasing their chances of UEFA Cup qualification. On 16 April, he again scored against Liverpool, this time in a 1–1 draw, a result which hampered Everton's prospects of qualifying for Europe. He scored his second hat-trick in English football during a 5–2 win