'If you look at the games lately, Alaves, Arsenal and Tottenham, we've always won them in the last 20 or 25 minutes. That's the hallmark of champions for the future.
'Compare Charlton to Bradford last year, when we chucked third place. You can see there was a different mental strength. The season would have been brilliant even if we'd lost at Charlton. Before the game, I thought we were human. Now I think we're super-human. But we were human for the first half!'
Too true. Only a combination of Sander Westerveld's athleticism, Sami Hyypia's obduracy and a huge amount of good fortune saw Liverpool stay on terms at the interval.
Then two pieces of pure Robbie Fowler, either side of Danny Murphy's scudding strike, turned the game on its head as Charlton - to the crestfallen consternation of Alan Curbishley - simply fell apart in the face of Michael Owen's speed and menace.
Fittingly, it was Owen who executed the final blow, streaking away to plant home another goal with his left foot, but the attention was on Fowler with last week's scowls of disappointment replaced by smiles of pure joy.
The pair were so impressive - and Emile Heskey so subdued recently - that it was suggested Sven Goran Eriksson would partner them in Greece on June 6. Houllier, though, feels otherwise. 'I think Emile will start. It's not a matter of confidence. Emile has had a great season.'
As for Fowler's future, Houllier suggested he will stay - though he would seek to replace the striker with David Trezeguet of Juventus if the England man did want to go.
Houllier added: 'He was never close to leaving. I'm pleased that he has said that he realises there is competition but that this is the place he can win things. You need four strikers.'
Between them, Fowler, Owen and Heskey have contributed 63 of Liverpool's 127 goals - 'not bad for a boring team, ' the manager quipped - and the Anfield side fully deserved the standing ovation they received from all sides of The Valley.
For the Charlton fans, there was a promise, of sorts, from Curbishley that he will resist any overtures from West Ham, though he said later: 'You've got to be offered a job first before you can think about it.
'As yet, West Ham have not offered me that chance. But I don't deny it's good to be talked about. I'm sure if West Ham have an interest and want to pursue it, they will.
'I started negotiations for a new contract six weeks ago. The speculation will not change what we've been talking about.'
