Everton's Leighton Baines struck a late penalty to secure a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park after a Darren Bent double looked to have put troubled Villa on course for three valuable Barclays Premier League points.
Villa fought back well after a sluggish first half in which Leon Osman opened the scoring after 38 minutes and the visitors felt the 82nd-minute penalty award against Jean Makoun was harsh.
Yet the hosts could also feel aggrieved after a Jermaine Beckford shot bounced close to the line after hitting the crossbar just seconds before Bent grabbed his second.
Houllier, whose side are just two points above the bottom three, said: "It is always difficult to get a point at Everton, it is not an easy place to play.
"I felt we fought hard enough to get the three points because we came back after making a mistake in the first half. We showed more competitiveness. I would say it is two points lost because we were in a winning position in the game but in terms of attitude, it was a hard-fought point and we deserved that, minimum."
Source: PA
Source: PA