The Englishman scored the perfect hat-trick, his first a curling right-footed shot into the top corner, the second a close-range header and the third a left-footed rebound after his initial penalty was saved.
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Phil Foden also got his name on the scoresheet to help propel Pep Guardiola‘s side to 14 victories and one draw in the last 15 Premier League matches, extending the lead at the top of the table to 12 points.
Sterling believes that City need to keep up the intensity for the remainder of the season.
“Yeah, we said last week, we go one step at a time, we knew to keep chipping away at it,” he said.
“Consistency and the mindset to keep wanting to do better and win. Not to rest on our laurels and that’s the only way we will get better. 
“To be a top team it’s every three days. That’s the challenge for us to win every three day.”
The 27-year-old now has five top-flight trebles for City and admitted that remaining positive reaps rewards.
“It’s football, you’re going to get chances, you have to keep going and getting in the right areas.
“Keep shooting and the goals will come. [For the first goal] I tried to stand him up, go slow then change the angle and put it in the back of the net in the end.
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“[For the second goal] I tried to judge where the ball was going to land and I saw it was going to the back post.
“[For the third goal] Left foot easy one right at the goal line, so yeah it was nice.”
Sterling was denied a direct hat-trick from the penalty spot by Angus Gunn, who parried straight back to the forward. Sterling revealed that regular penalty taker Riyad Mahrez had a word with him at full-time.
“He’s a forward and he wants to score so we had a little giggle about that!”
