"We got off to a great start and even though they gave us a fright, those away goals really killed them," Owen said. "We were always confident we were going to qualify, and when Didi [Hamann] scored just before half-time it meant they had to score four."
His manager was quick to praise Owen after the match. "I was pleased because Michael was great today," Houllier said. "He worked extremely well for the team. He is not only a star player; he is a team player."
Houllier's much-maligned team produced an attacking display to mend further the wounds of a season of criticism which culminated in death threats to the Liverpool manager.
But on a freezing night in Bulgaria, the Frenchman looked warm and content and his applause and clenched-fist salute to the massed ranks of the visiting fans at the end of the 50th European game of his Anfield career spoke volumes.
Liverpool's task looked less than straightforward, despite a first-leg 2-0 scoreline, because eastern Europeans are notoriously difficult to play at home.
What Liverpool needed was a swift strike to deflate their hosts, and it came on six minutes from the man on whom they have grown to rely so much. Gerrard anticipated a back pass from Ilian Stoianov and raced into yards of space before rounding the goalkeeper, Dimitar Ivankov, and sliding the ball home from an acute angle. The visitors doubled their advantage five minutes later when Harry Kewell's angled ball was chased by Owen.
The England striker sprung the offside trap and cruised into the box, before curling the ball past Ivankov with a perfect shot into the far corner.
But Levski fought back to level the scores, determined to give their all in front of 40,000 of their countrymen. The home side worked the ball in from the left and Georgi Ivanov unleashed a low drive across Chris Kirkland and inside the far post to pull a goal back. Five minutes before half-time, Sasha Simonovic was given the space to smash home the equaliser.
Yet Liverpool hit straight back when Dietmar Hamann rose to head home Gerrard's right-wing corner. Sami Hyypia ended the contest with a low header on 67 minutes from a Gerrard corner for Liverpool's fourth goal.