Yes you are right. He tried to shoot the ball himself and only got a slight touch instead. Sterling scored and Bony somehow got an assist, where he didn't even see Sterling, yet alone tried to pass it to him. This is not to knock Bony, but to show how everything these days counts as an assist, is just laughable.
I get what you're saying, some assists are a bit generous but to be fair without his touch the ball from Navas likely goes behind Sterling.
To be fair some goals are awarded in dubious circumstances too, look at Iheanacho's against Swansea for example.