A summer signing from Ligue 1 side Lyon, Cherki has had a huge impact on a City side who have ruthlessly bounced back from suffering back-to-back defeats against Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen at the end of November.
Following his heroics as both as a scorer and a provider against Forest, Cherki took his respective tallies to five goals and eight assists in what is fast-becoming one of the best seasons produced by a player who had previously never graced English shores.
Understandably full of confidence after conjuring up more magic for City, Cherki was pleased to show the many “qualities” he possesses in a win over Forest which was also his side’s fourth straight victory on the road.
“We knew coming to Nottingham, it was very complicated because Forest is a very good team,” Cherki told BBC’s Match of the Day after the full-time whistle. “We are very proud to win the game.
"I know my qualities. I gave a good pass for Tijjani Reijnders and it was a very good finish. I'm very proud of the team because today is a big win. When you come here, you know the team of Nottingham Forest is a big team with a lot of good players. I'm very proud to score for my team because the season is so long and we need all the points.”