The reigning Premier League champions gave an assured first-half performance in Germany and took the lead through Riyad Mahrez, but the hosts grew into the match in the second half and levelled through defender Josko Gvardiol from a corner.
City had felt the Croatian had fouled Ruben Dias and used him as leverage, though the goal was given, and they were even more aggrieved in the final minute of added time when an apparent handball from Benjamin Henrichs was missed by the officials.
The City players and manager Pep Guardiola all appealed but the full-time whistle was blown just moments later, with Walton revealing he has access to the VAR communications and the incident was not looked at.
‘From the angles that we’re all seeing here, I thought there was a handball offence there,’ said the former Premier League referee on BT Sport.
‘The arm is in an unnatural position for that phase of play, the ball clearly strikes [his hands] from the angles that we’re seeing. But the VAR did not check it.
‘I have a monitor linked with UEFA that tells me when VAR are checking incidents and this particular incident was not checked and I’m surprised it wasn’t.
‘If there’s an angle we are not seeing where it strikes his shoulder then I understand it. But I haven’t seen that angle, all I’ve seen is what we’ve seen today and for me that was a handball offence.’
Another angle released some time after kick-off appeared to show that the ball had in fact come off Henrichs’ shoulder and upper arm and was considerably less damning.
Guardiola did not want to comment on the incident, saying afterwards: ‘Like I said to your colleague about the goal for Gvardiol, and the penalty, I didn’t see it. But normally… I didn’t see it, so I cannot talk. But I know what happened.’
BT Sport’s pundits all agreed that it looked like a clear handball, with Owen Hargreaves saying: ‘He’s playing volleyball! It’s handball. What is he doing? He’s scared of it! It’s no wonder Pep was annoyed.
‘Pretty much all the players around have got their arms up, everyone. The players’ reactions are usually quite telling. Pep thought he saw it and he was quite a long way away. I think it’s surprising to say the least that they didn’t make a decision there.’
Rio Ferdinand agreed, saying: ‘That’s handball you know. He’s tried to push it away. You watch the City players’ reactions, that tells you all you need to know there. They all react and they all go to the referee.
‘Yeah it does [look like volleyball], he looks scared of the ball even!’
Shaun Wright-Phillips added: ‘That’s handball. You can’t go like that. I can’t believe it. I don’t understand how VAR have not flagged this for the ref to even have a look at it. It doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.’
MORE : Josko Gvardiol secures RB Leipzig draw against Manchester City in Champions League last-16 battle
MORE : Pep Guardiola tells Arsenal that his ‘resilient’ Manchester City side beat them ‘without being who we are’
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