Houdini is alive and living in Bradford

The banner inside Valley Parade read "Houdini lives in Bradford." If so, he should expect the freedom of the city. After this remarkable feat, the Yorkshire club will celebrate survival as if they were Premiership champions tonight with an open-top bus parade and civic reception.

A rare and priceless goal from David Wetherall ensures Bradford will renew acquaintances with the Premiership next season, while Liverpool must place their aspirations of Champions' League football on hold once again.

This, however, was Bradford's day. And who could blame them for milking the moment? Tens of thousands will converge on the city centre to usher in Paul Jewell's creaking assembly of 30-somethings this evening and afterwards there will be a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor. Whatever Chelsea or Aston Villa can muster after the FA Cup final, it will take something to top this.

The decisive moment arrived 12 minutes into an extraordinary afternoon that ended with Jewell swigging champagne on the pitch and supporters doing the conga, fingernails all but bitten away.

It was the type of set-piece goal that Gerard's Houllier team have worked tirelessly on snuffing out all season. But when it mattered most, too many of his players forgot their job descriptions.

After being fouled on the right touchline, the full-back Gunnar Halle picked himself up and arched a high free-kick into a congested penalty area. As the ball dropped, Liverpool failed to react and Wetherall emerged through a cluster of defenders, powering a header into the top left-hand corner of Sander Westerveld's goal.

The centre-back broke from the party afterwards to say: "That's something I will remember for the rest of my life. They have been writing us off all season and it gives us such satisfaction to prove them wrong."

For Paul Jewell, who was released by Liverpool as a player, it was too soon to make full sense of his emotions: "I can't really sum up what it means to stay up. It hasn't sunk in. But you could see what it meant to the supporters and the players.

"I said to them yesterday `whatever happens tomorrow I'm proud to have been your manager.' There's been a lot of things said about us this season and having put up with that it just makes it nice that we stayed up."

That in doing so they recorded the lowest points total by a team avoiding relegation from the top flight since three points for a win was introduced 18 years ago bears testament to how near the drop they came.

Although Liverpool held the territorial advantage for long spells, their elaborate patterns were weaved to little effect.

Indeed, the only Liverpool move of any real potency during the opening 45 minutes arrived with the Bradford supporters already whistling frantically for half-time to arrive.

Emile Heskey's delicate flick sent Michael Owen scampering towards goal but Gunnar Halle made a priceless clearance with the goalkeeper Matt Clarke beaten.

With Robbie Fowler conspicuous only by his absence, Owen's pace and purpose continued to serve Liverpool's most incisive option in the second half. Twice he came close to wriggling free as Liverpool set about their task with greater industry, if not ingenuity.

But, as events at the Dell unfolded, Bradford knew from the euphoria of their crowd that if they could hold on they would be safe.

At times they rode their luck but for all of Liverpool's possession it was Jewell's team who came closer to scoring.

The substitute Isaiah Rankin fluffed his lines after being left with only Westerveld to beat and Dean Windass followed that with an audacious lob from inside his own half that the Dutch goalkeeper did well to touch over.

By the end, however, it mattered not. Bradford's first pitch invasion was premature but after the supporters had been herded off the field Dermot Gallagher wet his lips for one final blow of the whistle and the party began.

"It's our finest hour," beamed the Bradford chairman Geoffrey Richmond. "One of the greatest days in football." He can look forward to another in the close season. Rodney Marsh, who pledged to become a baldie should Bradford survive, has agreed to come to Valley Parade and have his head shaved for charity. Well worth staying up for.

Jewell admitted to being physically and emotionally drained at the end of a dramatic afternoon. "Hard work, desire, endeavour, big hearts - they are words which have been overused this season, but we had all those in abundance today," said Jewell.

"I admit we don't do anything the easy way. We go right to the end and it's very dramatic. But what a way to end."

Bradford: Clarke, Halle, Wetherall, O'Brien, Sharpe, Lawrence, McCall, Dreyer, Beagrie (Jacobs 81), Saunders (Rankin 78), Windass. Subs not used: Westwood, Blake, Davison. Booked: Dreyer. Goal: Wetherall 12.

Liverpool: Westerveld, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchoz, Matteo (Meijer 82), Redknapp, Berger (Camara 61), Hamann, Gerrard (Smicer 61), Heskey, Owen. Subs not used: Song, Nielsen. Booked: Henchoz, Hamann.

Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).