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First Villa win better than lottery jackpot - Sherwood

Football - Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion - Barclays Premier League - Villa Park - 3/3/15 Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood celebrates at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters / Alex Morton (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) - Tim Sherwood said his first victory as Aston Villa manager was better than a lottery win after his side escaped the relegation zone by beating West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday. A stoppage-time Christian Benteke penalty handed Villa their first win in 13 league games and Sherwood his first points after three games in charge at the struggling club. Victory lifted Villa, who have never been relegated in the Premier League era, from second-bottom to 17th in the table and arrested a seven-game losing streak in the league. Sherwood believes the last-gasp win could be a turning point in his team's season and said it was more important to him than winning a huge jackpot. "My missus said to me this morning she was doing the EuroMillions lottery, 54 million pounds ($82.94 million)jackpot," Sherwood told reporters. "I said I'd rather have three points. "I think so (it's a turning point). We have conceded late against Stoke (in a 2-1 home loss) and it is a real body blow, but to score one late is an excellent feeling and I thought it was thoroughly deserved. "We are improving every game and we are still alive and kicking. It's a massive football club and it is at the wrong end of the table." Villa have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League this season with 15 but showed a will to get forward and attack local rivals West Brom. They recorded more shots on target (eight) than in any of their league games since May last year and the determination to be more dynamic going forward was a sign of Sherwood's influence. "We kept at it and someone was looking down on us today. I'll try anything, we are at that stage," the former Tottenham Hotspur manager said. "We hadn't won in 12 Premier League games and had to buck that trend. I think we deserved the three points and onwards and upwards. "When you are at the bottom you have to grind out results... "I don't think we can do it the old fashioned way with blood and thunder, we have to play through teams." ($1 = 0.6510 British Pounds) (Reporting By Sam Holden; editing by Toby Davis)