Houllier still maintained: 'We kept the ball, they kept the result. I have lost some games in my time but this was the most strange. We had the ball all the time.'
While stressing that the result had to be taken as a blip, he admitted: 'We were a bit slow when we had the ball. I feel disappointed for the players. They tried hard to chase the game without success.'
Boro stay in the bottom three despite collecting seven points with Venables in charge. But his organisation has brought three successive clean sheets - an enormous step towards the Teesside club surviving in the big league.
Boro's win, however, was to come courtesy of the most unlikely source. Karembeu had been lively in the first 15 minutes but no- one had given away the ball more in the first half than the Frenchman.
His mistakes clearly tested the patience even of a Riverside crowd anxious to give Venables' new charges every encouragement.
Even when the chance to score arrived in the 41st minute, Karembeu did his best to spurn the opportunity. With the goal beckoning, the £2.5million midfield buy from Real Madrid chose instead to pass to wing back Curtis Fleming.
That was when Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld crucially aided Boro. Fleming's low shot, though firm, was certainly saveable but the Dutchman failed to hold it and Karembeu's second goal in English football came with his easiest chance.
The goal arrived in a half of few openings for either side. Emile Heskey had a powerful drive deflected for a corner in the 15th minute.
A short free-kick allowed Boro's Keith O'Neill to fire over in the 25th minute after a Stephane Henchoz foul on Alen Boksic.
Injury has plagued Boksic's first season in England but, while given little of the ball yesterday, the Croatian showed how precious he could be to the Boro cause.
For much of the second half, though, Liverpool's pressure was intense. It needed every ounce of resilience Boro could muster to protect three such valuable points.
Clear breaks still eluded Houllier's men. Michael Owen headed a Steven Gerrard cross yards over in the 49th minute. England striker Owen was replaced four minutes later by Robbie Fowler, who soon had a good effort saved by Mark Schwarzer.
Nick Barmby, back at his former club, had probably Liverpool's best chance of rescuing a point. With only four minutes to go and Barmby a few yards out, a Sami Hyypia cross bounced off him and straight to Schwarzer.
That about summed up Liverpool's day. While they didn't enjoy much luck, a few of their players should closely examine their performances, unlike Gianluca Festa who returned to the Boro side because of an injury to Steve Vickers and played magnificently.
Venables still isn't confident enough to forecast Boro appearing in the Premiership next season. But he is full of praise for how they have responded to him and how they applied themselves.
