Liverpool's hopes of a Champions League place are still alive after a trip to the Premiership's bottom club had threatened to end in embarrassment before second-half goals from Michael Owen and Gary McAllister settled the issue.
The result means that Gerard Houllier's team leapfrog above Ipswich and Leeds on goal difference into third place.
Houllier has repeatedly stressed that, for all of Liverpool's continued success in knockout competitions, their season would still be an anticlimax should they fail to secure a Champions League place.
At this stage of the season it is all about timing and, in voicing his reservations, the Frenchman will doubtless have been mindful of the damaging repercussions of last year's end-of-season tailspin in which his side failed to register a solitary goal in their final five league matches.
This year scoring goals has not been the main hindrance, but the sheer weight of matches. This was their second game in an exhaustive sequence of seven in 21 days.
Throughout the opening exchanges Bradford managed to repel most of Liverpool's attacking thrusts with a modicum of fuss. They will reflect that a free shot for Benito Carbone on the left of the penalty area represented the best chance of the first half. The Italian, however, flashed his shot wide.
Liverpool had half-chances rather than clear-cut openings. Markus Babbel was denied by Gary Walsh as early as the first minute and, as the visitors' elaborate passing game started to force Bradford deeper into defence, the goalkeeper had to be alert again to block Emile Heskey's grass-cutter.
Gerard Houllier had much to ponder at half-time but within two minutes of the restart his side were ahead. Owen's pace and alertness had been a feature of Liverpool's play and, never slow to pick up on his side's strengths, McAllister's through-ball was weighted to perfection.
Andy Myers is no slouch, but Owen is positively lightning and after outpacing the Bradford defender into the penalty area his expert finish, lifting the ball over Walsh with a deft flick, gave him his 16th goal of the season.
The home side were thrust into depression once again and, almost immediately from the kick-off, another defence-splitting pass, this time from Danny Murphy, would have provided Owen with number 17 if Walsh had not dashed off his goal-line.
Just before the hour Westerveld inexplicably handled a back-pass from Jamie Carragher to concede an indirect free-kick just eight yards from goal. Eoin Jess touched the ball to Carbone whose shot was batted down by Carragher's hands only for the referee to wave away penalty appeals.
Bradford smouldered with injustice and to make matters worse on 67 minutes McAllister's exquisite free-kick, after Owen had been fouled by Robert Molenaar, put Liverpool two-up and reflecting on the possibility of a return to their European Cup days.
Bradford: Walsh; Myers, Molenaar, Halle, Jacobs, Whalley, McCall, Blake, Carbone, Jess, Ward. Subs Not Used: Davison, Nolan, Lawrence, Grant, McKinlay.
Liverpool: Westerveld; Babbel, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Murphy (Berger 81), Hamann, Gerrard, McAllister (Smicer 81), Owen, Heskey. Subs Not Used: Ziege, Fowler, Arphexad. Booked: Westerveld, Carragher. Goals: Owen 47, McAllister 67.
Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
