96 minutes were on the clock at Dean Court when Sterling forced home a dramatic winner.
Since that moment City have been in irresistible form, winning every game and scoring an incredible 32 times in eight subsequent matches.
Guardiola said: “It was so important. In the first game for example we went to Brighton away and then Bournemouth, and at that moment they had zero points in the table, winning in the last minute was so, so important, before the international break. After that came Liverpool and we were able to win.
“The Bournemouth win helped us a lot in terms of confidence.”
City v Napoli: TV, team news and kick-off time
A key feature of City’s play in the recent run of form is Kevin De Bruyne, who was at his brilliant best against Stoke on Saturday.
At Monday’s press conference Guardiola was asked if the Belgian playmaker could reach Lionel Messi’s level, but the Catalan boss said: “It would be a dream for me, I would love not only Kevin but other players to achieve that level. But I don’t want to put the pressure on his shoulders.
“He’s a humble guy, his teammates love him, he wants to play every game, he fights until the end.”
