A year ago they had seen Champions League soccer wrenched from their grasp by Bradford’s relegation survival miracle.

Houllier admitted: ‘‘I hate the word revenge, but I felt we had to do something this time, we needed to make sure we got the right result on this occasion.’’

Liverpool certainly did that. They grabbed a 2-0 win over the doomed Bantams to take themselves into third spot in the Premiership and within touching distance of that coveted Champions League entry.

Houllier refused to consider that Liverpool were now favourites to pip Ipswich and Leeds for third place, but he still looked pretty pleased.

He even managed to burst into laughter in a light-hearted media conference, and he certainly hadn’t been laughing on his last visit to Valley Parade.

He said: ‘‘We are in a cup race, only wins count and if we keep winning we will reach our objective.’’

Houllier pointedly refused last night to rule out Liverpool’s chances of finishing runners-up.

It’s the first time since March 3 that Liverpool have been in a Champions League qualification spot, and Houllier can now even see a fleeting chance of pipping Arsenal for second place.

It’s a long shot with Liverpool four points behind Arsenal now, but Houllier said: ‘‘Can we finish second? Yes, but it won’t be in our own hands. It’s not impossible.

‘‘But as for third place, we know that depends entirely on what we do. If we win all our remaining three league games, we will finish third.’’

Houllier had seen Michael Owen score a quality goal a minute into the second half his 16th of the season while Gary McAllister weighed in with his now customary set-piece strike, his fifth in five games.

Houllier said of the midfielder: ‘‘Gary just seems to be getting younger and younger, doesn’t he.’’

But the Anfield boss also admitted that although Liverpool had gained revenge for their last-day defeat last season the Yorkshire club had given them almost as tough a ride.

He said: ‘‘They showed the quality of a Premiership side. Full credit to Bradford, I knew they’d play with freedom and would give their all. It is why the English game is so exciting.

‘‘We had to search hard for the openings and Bradford pushed us very hard right to the end.’’

Now Houllier has home games against Newcastle and Chelsea to further boost their quest for third spot before they face their two cup finals in May. The last game is at Charlton after the UEFA Cup Final, and by then Liverpool could be certain of their triumph.

Houllier said: ‘‘I told the boys before we played Spurs a week ago that we could only depend on ourselves. We do not want to wait for other results, so if we win all our last three we will know we can’t be stopped.

‘‘We have to deliver the wins, we know we can do it on our own.’’

Bradford boss Jim Jefferies was delighted with his doomed side’s battling display. He said: ‘‘I don’t think that Liverpool could complain had we got something out of that game.

‘‘I certainly can’t complain about the performance. It is the best we have played for six or seven games now.

‘‘It took two quality finishes to beat us. The outfield play had shown little difference between the sides. Liverpool have beaten Barcelona and we gave them a really tough time. It gives us hope for the future.’’