TAMPA, Fla. -- Gerrit Cole struck out two and walked one over a hitless inning in his spring training debut for the New York Yankees against Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Cole's first pitch to Adam Frazier was a 97 mph fastball. After Frazier popped out and Bryan Reynolds struck out, Cole Tucker drew a walk. The right-hander then fanned Josh Bell to finish up.

Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year contract as a free agent after going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts last season for the AL champion Houston Astros. He has an overall career record of 94-52.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Jose Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn't avoid a pitch that grazed him.

"He was hit in the foot. That ain't nothing, you know what I mean?'' Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at half-empty Joker Marchant Stadium. "It wasn't intentional.''

Altuve was loudly booed when he was introduced for his spring training debut, cheered when he struck out and called a cheater by several fans. Quite a difference from past years, when the diminutive All-Star second baseman was among the most popular players in the majors.

But that was before Altuve and his Houston teammates were implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that has rocked baseball.

"We just heard a lot of noise, and that's it,'' Altuve said.

Altuve and fellow starters Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel all played for the first time in the exhibition season. After Houston opened the Grapefruit League in the stadium it shares with the World Series champion Washington Nationals, this was the first time the Astros were away from their complex -- providing a taste of the reaction they might receive on the road this year.

"We were focused on playing baseball. We know that we need to go on the field and get ready and prepared for the coming season,'' Altuve said. "That's what we're thinking about right now.''

Actually, the reception during the visit to Tigertown USA was fairly tame compared to what it figures to be during the regular season.

"What reaction?'' Correa said.

Early arrivals in the announced crowd of 4,891 were discouraged by ushers from gathering near the Astros dugout unless they had box seats along the third-base line.

Hecklers aired their voices after batting practice, booing during lineup introductions and each time Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel stepped to the plate. Altuve got some cheers, too, when he was charged with an error for dropping a throw by Bregman from third base on a force play.

The quartet was treated to one more round of boos when they left the game and made the long walk up the first-base line to the visiting clubhouse.

"There's frustration in the fan base and they have a right to voice their opinion. ... The Astros are going to have to wear it for a while, and eventually it'll move on. But fans are going to voice their opinions and they have a right to,'' Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Those guys understand it over there, and they're going about their business of getting ready for the season.''

Altuve took a called third strike to a round of cheers in his first at-bat, then lined a crowd-quieting RBI double into the left-field corner his next time up.

Altuve showed no signs of being upset when he was grazed with a pitch by Tigers reliever Nick Ramirez after the batter before him, Myles Straw, homered in the fifth inning. The 2017 AL MVP was replaced by a pinch runner.

Baker planned to play Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel no more than five innings in Houston's first true road exhibition since a Major League Baseball investigation found the Astros broke rules by illegally stealing signs during their championship season in 2017.

While most of the team made the three-hour trip from West Palm Beach by bus early Monday, Baker said the team's starting infield traveled the previous day and spent the night in Orlando. Established players rarely make such long road trips in spring training camp.

"That made it easier for them to show up here, and it makes it easier for me to say: 'Hey, man, do you want to come,'" Baker said before the game, adding he had not tried to prepare Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel about what to expect Monday.

"No, I don't tell 'em anything. There might not be any noise,'' Baker said. "Everybody keeps anticipating noise, and there might not be noise. It's hard to warn somebody that something's coming and it never comes because you'll be looking out for it instead of playing the game. If it comes, you deal with it. If not, you go ahead and live your life.''

Two other Astros were hit by pitches in the late innings, though Gardenhire stressed it wasn't on purpose.

Earlier, Detroit starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, who fanned Altuve in the first inning, said it wasn't difficult to block out the booing and heckling and remained focused on playing the game.

"It's spring training. Honestly, let's let it die. What's done is done. I know how everybody feels, but no one is going to change anything now,'' Boyd said. "The punishment's been handed out, the line's been drawn in the sand. Hopefully that shuts it down, and it's just best for everyone to move forward. They've got to live with it. That's more than enough punishment."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The two-car JDC-Miller MotorSports team took those words to heart at last month’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and made the most of the opportunity.

“This is the first time for me in six years of doing this that we’ve started the season with a whole new group of drivers, and we rolled out at the Roar [Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona on the first weekend of January] for the first time,” said team CEO and Managing Partner, John Church. “There was a lot of learning for us during the race – especially for me, learning what each of them needs to know or wants to know during the race. We all executed, did our jobs and had a pretty good result.”

Two pretty good results, actually.

The team’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais and Loic Duval battled for the lead and wound up third. The No. 85 JDC-Miller Cadillac shared by Juan Piedrahita, Matheus Leist, Chris Miller and Tristan Vautier finished fifth.

“I think the goal of the team was to score a podium this year,” said Bourdais. “We scored in our Super Bowl, the first race out, so that’s checked.”

Perhaps even more importantly, the double top-five performance gives the team two valuable commodities in motorsports: confidence and momentum.

“I think when you can start the season with both cars in the top five, it’s a fantastic start,” Church said. “It gives you a little bit of momentum, makes everybody feel good about what they’re doing and gives us something to build on as the season goes on.”

The next stop on the WeatherTech Championship schedule is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on March 21. The last time Barbosa and Bourdais raced together at that event back in 2015, they dominated in what was then a No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DP to win.

That fact wasn’t lost on them when they were testing the No. 5 Cadillac DPi last week at Sebring.

“We have great history together,” Barbosa said. “We won a race here in a big way, so we’re looking forward to coming back for the Sebring 12-hour race and have a great race. We started good at Daytona, so we’re looking forward to continuing that momentum.”

“Obviously, 2015 was a bit of a highlight,” Bourdais added. “It was a pretty amazing race when we managed to lap the field and come out on top. I’ve got a bunch of really, really good memories with a bunch of the guys that are revolving around that program. I’m looking forward to a great season and more races.”

Bourdais has nine more WeatherTech Championship races on his schedule. The four-time IndyCar champion is running the entire season alongside Barbosa in the No. 5 Cadillac for the first time in addition to selected IndyCar starts.

“It’s going to be different for me this year, for sure, doing the whole 10 races in IMSA,” he said. “So far, it feels like the same, except I’ve got more responsibilities because I’m one of the two drivers that are going to be relied on. It’s strange because I’m still doing some IndyCar testing, I’m still doing some IMSA testing, and I always do Daytona and Sebring.

“So, I guess it’s going to start to kind of hit me a little bit when we get to Long Beach, but even then, I’ll still be racing IndyCar, so I don’t know when it actually is going to sink in that I’m going to do this full time this year. But it’s a great feeling, and it’s a really cool program.”

In addition to driving the full WeatherTech Championship schedule, Bourdais is scheduled to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet IndyCar for A.J. Foyt Racing in St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach and Portland.

“He’ll be really busy,” Barbosa said. “But he’s a great driver. He has a lot of experience, and it’s really good to have his experience and help the team develop the car as well.”

In addition to helping the development of the No. 5 Cadillac, Bourdais is also helping his new teammate, Leist – who also is transitioning from IndyCars to sports cars – to get acclimated to the DPi.

“The first time I was at Daytona testing the car at the Roar, I did my first six laps, and I got out of the car and I was like, ‘Man, this thing is hard,’” Leist recalled. “I jumped out of the car, and I saw Sebastien and I went and talked to him. I was like, ‘Hey Sebastien, what do you think about the car?’

“He was like, ‘Man, this thing is so hard to drive. It turns in so quick.’ I had exactly the same feeling because, in IndyCar, we don’t have power steering. So, I feel like the same issues that I have with the car, he has the same. So, it was the same thing when we got to Sebring. We went out and the first outing that I did, I was like, ‘Man, this car is hard.’

“But then you start to get used to it, and it’s actually a pretty nice and fun car to drive. It’s nice to have him in the team. Of course, we shared the track in IndyCar, and now we’re sharing the track here in IMSA and we are having fun together.”

They’ll continue to have fun together – at least for the four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. Church noted that while the No. 5 team is set for full-time duty, the No. 85 is only committed for the four endurance events with an eye toward expanding the program if possible as the season continues.

That’s another reason why the top-five at Daytona was so important.

“Yeah, having a top-five at Daytona is a great start to the season and momentum-booster,” Church said. “Once you get another result or two or whatnot, then that makes the whole program go a little further.”

Vancouver starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom underwent an MRI Monday after suffering a lower-body injury in a 9-3 win over Boston on Saturday, Canucks general manager Jim Benning announced Monday.

With concern in net as the postseason push continues in a congested Western Conference, Benning dealt for New Jersey goaltender Louis Domingue just before the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.

"He is flying back tomorrow [to Vancouver] and will meet with the doctors on Wednesday morning," Benning said of Markstrom, after announcing the Domingue deal. "[We] will have a better timeline after that."

Markstrom stopped 34 of 37 shots in Saturday's victory over the Bruins, but briefly exited in the first period after taking a stick to the mask in a different injury. He missed 1:48 of the period. Markstrom improved to 23-16-4 with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage with the win. He has made 43 starts.

Backup Thatcher Demko is likely to carry the bulk of the workload in Markstrom's absence, starting against the Canadiens on Tuesday in Montreal. And Domingue, who has rotated between the Devils and their AHL affiliate this season, should slide in as the backup.

"Louis has experience in the league and he's played well,¨ Benning said. "He's flying into Montreal to back up Thatcher [Tuesday]."

The Canucks shipped AHL goaltender Zane McIntyre to New Jersey for Domingue, who was 3-8-2 in New Jersey with a 3.79 GAA.

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired veteran goaltender Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks in the final hour before the NHL trade deadline on Monday, sending goaltender Malcolm Subban, defenseman Slava Demin and a second-round pick back to Chicago.

As part of the trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Vegas' fifth-round selection in the 2020 draft in exchange for forward Martins Dzierkals. The Maple Leafs have retained a portion of Lehner's salary as part of the transaction.

The deal:

Golden Knights get: G Robin Lehner

Blackhawks get: G Malcolm Subban, D Slava Demin, 2020 second-round pick

Vegas Golden Knights: A+

The 2020 NHL trade deadline was going to go one of two ways: Either the lack of sellers due to the league's tight playoff races was going to produce a snoozer, or the tight playoff races were going to produce a flurry of activity as teams load up for the stretch run.

To the joy of hockey fans across North America, it was the latter, with significant deals spanning over the last 10 days.

Here are the winners and losers of the 2020 trade deadline.

Winner: Tampa Bay Lightning

Over the last two months, no team in the NHL has been hotter than the Lightning, who have posted two separate double-digit winning streaks, have lost just four games since Christmas, and have a whopping plus-41 goal differential. And they only got better over the last week and a half.

Players with term were on trend this trade deadline season, and Tampa Bay picked up one of the league's most underrated in Blake Coleman. Rookie GM Julien Brisebois then schooled his peers by winning the sweepstakes for disgruntled former Buffalo defenseman Zach Bogosian, at a bargain price of a prorated $1.3 million. Oh, and they add a decent defensive forward in Barclay Goodrow. Has this team finally learned to peak at the right time?

Loser: The inactives

The Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators are all jostling for position in their respective playoff races, and none of them did anything to make their teams significantly better.

The biggest surprise of the bunch was perhaps Colorado, which is banged up at forward and has ample cap space. The only thing Avs GM Joe Sakic did was get goalie insurance in Michael Hutchinson and acquire Vladislav Namestnikov, who likely profiles in the bottom six. They could have -- and perhaps should have -- done more in a season when they have a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup.

The Stars were in on Joe Thornton, but couldn't get it done. In fairness, the Blue Jackets made the 2019 trade deadline incredibly fun. But GM Jarmo Kekalainen didn't give his team much help to separate from the Eastern Conference wild-card muck.

And then there are the Maple Leafs, who lost to their own practice goalie/minor league Zamboni driver on Saturday. As Toronto GM Kyle Dubas said later in the day on Monday: "I'm not going to come up and bullsh-- and say I have some magical solution." Clearly not.

Winner: Putting it on your players

Some of this inactivity is directly tied to the idea of putting the pressure on the players to be the change that they need. One could argue that's the case with the Maple Leafs. The Predators have been "it's on the players" since they fired Peter Laviolette. While the Panthers made a hockey trade for Vincent Trocheck, it's also a clear message that the team expects more from its remaining core.

Loser: Teams holding on to first-round picks

Parity leads to high prices. Six first-round draft picks moved around this year's trade deadline, up from four last season. In 2019, those first were traded for Kevin Hayes, Brandon Montour and two for Matt Duchene. (The second first-rounder was a conditional one that never came to pass after he didn't re-sign.) Players that cost first-rounders this season: Jason Zucker, Blake Coleman, Ondrej Kase, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Brady Skjei and Barclay Goodrow. Yes, Barclay Goodrow!

Winners: Patrick Marleau and Ilya Kovalchuk

Marleau and Kovalchuk have combined for 1,003 career goals (a total which would have been higher were it not for Kovalchuk's five-year Russian stint) and a total of zero Stanley Cups. In fact, Marleau has played the most regular season games in NHL history without winning one. Now, the 40-year-old Marleau and 36-year-old Kovalchuk have as good a shot as they've ever had, as key depth pieces for the Penguins and Capitals, respectively.

You heard that right. Marleau is riding Sidney Crosby's coat tails while Kovalchuk is playing sidekick to Alex Ovechkin and we are so here for it. Few would have predicted it this summer, as Kovalchuk was coming off a disappointing return to the NHL via the Kings, and Marleau was bought out by the Hurricanes, after a short stint with the Maple Leafs.

Loser: Joe Thornton's Stanley Cup quest

While Marleau and Kovalchuk will get their respective shots at their first Stanley Cup, Joe Thornton decided to stay put in San Jose. GM Doug Wilson would have granted his wish to leave if Thornton had made it, but the star center has shown little desire to leave the Bay Area during his sometimes-tumultuous time there. So, no full-circle storybook ending with the Boston Bruins, and no reunion with "Little Joe" Pavelski in Dallas, which were both rumored.

Winner: Pierre Dorion

The Senators GM is often critiqued. Most of it is earned. The team is not competitive. Attendance is low. The fan base is apathetic. Ottawa has now made 40 trades since the start of the 2017-18 season, including saying goodbye to Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene (among many, many more).

Monday, however, may have been the GM's finest work. No player has yielded as much for doing as little as Jean-Gabriel Pageau. To earn a first- and a second-round pick -- and a slim, but potential chance for a third -- for a rental 27-year-old who has only now reached 20 goals for the first time in his career (thanks for an astronomically high 17.8 shooting percentage)? Take a bow, Mr. Dorion. You had one good day.

Undecided: Lou Lamoriello

On one hand, the Islanders GM grossly overpaid to acquire Pageau, who could just be a flash in the pan thanks to that wild shooting percentage. On the other hand, Lamoriello addressed his biggest area of need. The Isles' offense is ranked 22nd in the NHL, and flamed out in last year's playoffs after scoring only five goals in four games. And Lamoriello salvaged the high price by signing Pageau to an extension, potentially shoring up their center depth for the next few years.

And then there was the Zach Parise ordeal. Lamoriello was deep in talks to acquire his former Devils forward, which could have been a big mistake in our opinion, considering the 35-year-old is under contract through 2025. According to Natural Stat Trick, Parise's 1.33 points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season is the worst rate of his career. The good news? Lamoriello didn't go through with it.

Winner: Robin Lehner

Robin Lehner was a Vezina Trophy finalist last year who just wants to be treated as such. He's looking for a long-term deal and fair compensation. He was hoping it would come with the Blackhawks, who took a one-year, $5 million flier on him after the Islanders snubbed him for Semyon Varlamov this summer. But contract talks between Lehner's agent and the Blackhawks stalled due to a disagreement on a term. And the Blackhawks -- despite a promising showing before the All Star break -- don't look like they're going anywhere this season.

Now Lehner gets a terrific opportunity to win the Cup this spring with the surging Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury has been burdened by a big workload since coming to Vegas, and his save percentage this season is among the lowest of his career (he's also working through personal tragedy, as his father passed away this fall). Lehner will get ample opportunities to start, and potentially play a lot. And hopefully he can still get what he wants this summer.

Loser: Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks were poised to pick up big returns as a seller at the deadline. Instead, they picked up a second-round pick, a third-round pick, a backup goalie and a college defenseman that our Chris Peters doesn't rank among the Golden Knights' top 10 prospects. If I'm a player on the Blackhawks, that doesn't make me feel great, especially since the two players traded were popular in the locker room.

Erik Gustafsson should have been traded this past summer, when his value was much higher. Meanwhile, Robin Lehner, a reigning Vezina finalist, kept Chicago in many games earlier this season where everything else was falling apart. Since the return on Lehner was so low, it raises the question on why he was even traded at all. Couldn't the Blackhawks have just kept him -- they still are technically in the playoff hunt -- which would have set them up better for re-signing him to an extension?

Winner: Carolina Hurricanes

The day began with the Canes organizing a glitzy New York media tour for emergency backup hero David Ayres. They kept the good publicity and good karma going all day long.

The Canes have been looking for defensive help ever since Dougie Hamilton went down, and it became more urgent with Brett Pesce's long-term injury. They got exactly what they needed, picking up top defensive rental Sami Vatanen and 25-year-old Brady Skjei, the latter of whom is signed through 2024 (term is something the Canes highly covet). What's more: They snagged Vincent Trocheck away from Florida (another player with term!). The Bunch of Jerks have momentum to break through the crowded Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Loser: Bill Guerin's scalpel

The Minnesota Wild did well for themselves in the Jason Zucker trade with Pittsburgh, getting a solid prospect in defenseman Calen Addison, a conditional first-round pick and the expiring contract of forward Alex Galchenyuk.

But that's where the slicing and dicing ended for GM Bill Guerin. Mikko Koivu flexed his no-move clause to remain in Minnesota. Potential big deals for players like Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin never materialized. Most notable was the rumored deal that would have sent Zach Parise, and a contract that expires in 2025, to the Islanders. Multiple reports suggested that he waived his no-move to play for Lou Lamoriello. But nothing happened. Well, there's always the draft.

Winner: Boston Bruins

The Bruins' acquisition of Ducks winger Ondrej Kase has the potential to be one of the best of the deadline. He's a talented 24-year-old winger with tremendous offensive upside if he remains healthy -- which, admittedly, is a tall order given his struggles to stay in the lineup during his career. But he makes just $2.6 million through 2021, when the Bruins can re-sign him as a restricted free agent. They moved mid-range defensive prospect Axel Andersson and their first-rounder to the Ducks for Kase and Anaheim's willingness to take David Backes' contract -- or at least 75% of it -- off their books.

Boston's second trade with Anaheim, which sent Danton Heinen for Nick Ritchie, was less lopsided and a wash at best for the Bruins.

Undecided: Tom Fitzgerald

The interim New Jersey Devils general manager had a strange deadline.

Getting a 2021 second-round pick and defenseman David Quenneville from the Islanders for the expiring contract of captain Andy Greene was good. Getting prospects Janne Kuokkanen and Fredrik Claesson along with a fourth-round pick for a banged up Sami Vatanen was ... maybe not as good as what they got for Greene? And the Wayne Simmonds trade with the Buffalo Sabres, retaining salary for a conditional 2021 fifth-rounder that can become a fourth-rounder is ... maybe a favor for a former co-worker with the Penguins, Jason Botterill?

But the biggest question about the Devils is something that happened on his predecessor's watch: Given the incredible prices that were paid at the Feb. 24 deadline, did New Jersey make a big goof in trading Taylor Hall back in December?

Winner: Chris Kreider

Chris Kreider wanted to remain with the Rangers, but as Sunday's talks ended, the two sides were still separated by a year on his next contract. He was, by far, the most desirable forward at the trade deadline for a reason: Kreider is the kind of physical scoring forward that contenders covet. The Rangers are close to being a contender. Had they cut ties with him, they would have searched for a "Chris Kreider type" for the next few years.

So they bridged the gap, and gave Kreider a seventh year at $6.5 million annually, slightly down from the $7 million annually over six seasons the Rangers wanted. But again: Kreider wanted to be a Ranger, and he will be for the foreseeable future.

Loser: Bathroom breaks

The drip, drip of information on trade deadline day leaves fans looking for any signs of what may be forthcoming. Whenever a player abruptly leaves the ice during practice, there's a rush of attention. Your social media stream was probably flowing with news that Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames had trickled off the ice during practice.

False alarm! Said Gaudreau, still a Flame, after practice: "I had to pee. I talked to [coach Geoff Ward] and he said there are only two minutes left in practice. He said it was good to get off, I got off and my phone was blowing up. Nothing to worry about."

Johnny Gaudreau explains why he left practice early ? pic.twitter.com/JkjsqvcofO

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 24, 2020

The Italian government is moving toward having football matches played behind closed doors in affected areas as authorities try to contain a spreading virus that has made northern Italy the focal point of the outbreak in Europe.

Thursday's Europa League match at San Siro between Inter Milan and Ludogorets was the first to be confirmed as going ahead in an empty stadium, with the Italian club releasing a statement on Monday night.

Bulgarian side Ludogorets added that UEFA has said it is monitoring the situation and will react immediately if anything changes.

Serie A president Paolo Dal Pinto sent a letter to the government on Monday asking that games no longer be postponed in the affected areas but played without fans in attendance -- noting there is little time for make-up dates considering all elite competitions must be completed by May 24 because of the upcoming European Championship.

Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora also proposed the closed-door plan to Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte -- although no final decision had been made.

"Playing all sports behind closed doors for the next week could be possible, because then fans can more easily stay at home," said Maurizio Casasco, the president of the Italian federation for sports physicians. "But the clubs have to be in agreement.

"There's more than just football in Italy. It's an issue that regards all sports."

Four Serie A games scheduled for the previous round on Sunday were postponed, including Inter Milan's game against Sampdoria at San Siro Stadium.

Also Monday, the first board meeting for the Milan-Cortina Olympics was changed to a video conference instead of being held in Milan. Members of the newly created board of directors for the 2026 Games called in from their respective offices in the Lombardy and Veneto regions, the areas hardest hit by the virus, the Italian Olympic Committee said.

Turin-based Juventus are scheduled to host Inter (Live on ESPN+, Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET). Other games scheduled for northern Italy next weekend include Udinese vs. Fiorentina on Saturday and AC Milan vs. Genoa on Sunday.

Lyon was in contact with UEFA and French authorities over concern about the 2,500-3,000 Juventus fans traveling over the border to a Champions League game in the French city on Wednesday.

Juventus shares fell 11% on the Milan stock exchange in early trading on Monday, forcing a suspension in trading. Juventus also announced its museum at the Allianz Stadium would remain closed through Saturday. Stadium tours also were suspended.

LIVERPOOL, England -- There is something remarkable about the Liverpool team that is now just four victories away from claiming the Premier League title: Even the extraordinary is beginning to seem routine for Jurgen Klopp and his players.

For 13 second-half minutes against West Ham at Anfield, Liverpool's historic season appeared to be heading straight for an unexpected road block, with David Moyes's relegation-threatened team taking a 2-1 lead after goals from Issa Diop and Pablo Fornals had cancelled out Georginio Wijnaldum's eighth-minute opener. No big deal, perhaps. Liverpool are so far ahead of the rest in the Premier League that one defeat was hardly going to knock them off their stride and put the title in jeopardy.

But losing would have denied Liverpool the chance to emulate Arsene Wenger's Arsenal Invincibles by going through a season without suffering a league defeat. A defeat, or a draw, would also have stopped Liverpool equalling Manchester City's record of 18 successive Premier League wins. Klopp's men would have fallen one short of equalling Liverpool's own all-time record of 21 consecutive top-flight home wins, set in 1972, as well.

But a goal from Sadio Mane during the final 10 minutes turned defeat into victory, making it 109 points from the last 111 available, and all of those records and achievements were back on the table. They have now equalled City's run of 18 straight league wins -- Liverpool can set a new mark by beating Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday -- and they will break their home record with a 22nd consecutive win against Bournemouth at Anfield on March 7. Both of the above will be incredible feats, but they are likely to be nothing more than footnotes when the full story of Liverpool's 2019-20 season is finally told.

"I never thought [City's record] would be broken or equalled," Klopp said. "We did it and I cannot believe it happened, to be honest."

In any other season, those two records would be heralded as hallmarks of a truly great team, but there are so many bigger and more historic achievements in Liverpool's path that these will pale into insignificance.

If Liverpool win their next four games and seal the title -- the club's first since 1990 -- against Crystal Palace at Anfield on March 21, they will have done so in record time. But they are also unbeaten in 44 Premier League games -- five more will equal Arsenal's record of 49 top-flight games without defeat -- and they are just 11 games away from joining the 2004 Invincibles in the pantheon of great teams if they avoid defeat for the remainder of the campaign. City's record tally of 100 points is also likely to be obliterated and.

Let's not forget, Liverpool are still alive in the FA Cup and Champions League, too, so Manchester United's 1999 Treble is also there to be matched. Having already won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup this season, a haul of five major trophies would surely end any debate as to whether this is the greatest club side that English football has ever seen.

One statistic that may not create too many headlines, however, is the one that tells you that the 3-2 win against West Ham was the 13th time this season that Liverpool have won a league game with a one-goal margin. It's not a number that should be dismissed as a footnote. In many ways, it emphasises the many qualities of Klopp's team.

It demonstrates that Liverpool have discovered the crucial knack of always finding a way to win. They have not blown teams away this season, but they have overcome all of them, with the exception of Manchester United at Old Trafford, but even on that occasion, they dug out a late equaliser because they are prepared to take risks to get something from games.

"Sometimes you have to squeeze it and force it," Klopp said. "And that is what we did tonight."

It is an approach that has taken Liverpool to the brink of history even if, on this occasion, a couple of costly mistakes by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski helped them on their way to victory.

The record books are waiting to be rewritten. They might as well pulp the ones that have gone before because there are so many new highs that Liverpool are preparing to hit. The only question is how many trophies they will win along the way, but for now, Klopp just wants his players to keep their foot on the pedal until the title is confirmed.

"You see City playing and this is the team in world football that are able to win all their other games," he said. "We have to keep winning. We need to be ready, and it is a home game for Watford [next]. It is not about shining, but the hardest work. As long as the boys are ready to work hard I am not concerned, but it is still a job to do."

Klopp need not be worried. It is now just a case of when Liverpool win the league, not if.

PHILADELPHIA -- As the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons' management team work with doctors to evaluate a course of action on the All-Star guard's injured back, Simmons is expected to be sidelined for an undetermined period of time, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The anticipated length of time missed and next steps in remedying his back injury could be decided as soon as Tuesday.

The injury will have longer-term implications than simply the 76ers' upcoming West Coast road trip.

"I don't know," Sixers coach Brett Brown said before Monday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks when asked how long Simmons will be sidelined. "It really is kind of, like, how long is a piece of string? Who knows? Who knows?

"Whatever the time equals on days, games, period of time, then we can talk more honestly as this thing shakes out, but as it sits right now, that's how I see the world."

Simmons, who played less than five minutes in Philadelphia's loss to the Bucks on Saturday night before exiting with back soreness, was described by sources as emotional after leaving the X-ray room at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum.

He also missed Thursday's overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets with lower back tightness.

Simmons, 23, was ruled out of Monday's game. The team said a further determination on a course of action will be decided within 24 hours.

The team declined to put any sort of time frame on how long Simmons would be sidelined.

What is certain, however, is that the Sixers are going to be without Simmons for the immediate future, which includes a trip to Los Angeles to play both teams there Sunday and Tuesday as part of a weeklong trip through California.

Brown and the Sixers had hoped to spend the opening weeks after the All-Star break solving their yearlong issues on the road (Philadelphia entered Monday with the league's best home record at 26-2, while having one of the worst road marks at 9-20).

Instead, Brown now must figure how he's going to survive without his lead ball handler and one of the two pillars of his team, alongside center Joel Embiid.

"It's not ideal," Brown said. "But that's why you have a team. Now, coach it.

"This is the opportunity we have without an NBA All-Star, without a starting point guard, and we will manufacture ball carriers with the group that's been left back outside of Ben not being with us, and what that role looks like and who has that responsibility."

Brown said the Sixers will not try to replace Simmons, who entered Monday averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists this season, with one player, instead opting for a "point guard by committee" approach. Monday night saw second-year guard Shake Milton start in place of Simmons against the Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Sixers still have to sort out what else is going on with their team.

Al Horford's role continues to be in flux. After coming off the bench the prior three games -- against the LA Clippers before the All-Star break, and then both Thursday against Brooklyn and Saturday against Milwaukee, he was re-inserted into the starting lineup Monday night.

Brown repeated the line he used Friday about Horford's awkward first season with the Sixers after signing as a free agent last summer.

"I have to help him help us," Brown said Monday.

The lack of shooting across the roster remains a problem, as is Philadelphia's ongoing issues away from home. All of that together has left the Sixers, who were expected to be challenging for the top spot in the East with Milwaukee this season, in fifth place in the conference with 25 games to go -- and currently in line to face former Sixer Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

But as he waits for an update on just how long Simmons will be sidelined, Brown tried to maintain a positive outlook on what the Sixers can learn about themselves with their star guard watching from the sidelines.

"There's 25 games left," Brown said. "It's an eternity. Just keep going back to the end game. What's the bottom line? I'll say it again: If you get the health and the spirit, it's got a chance to equal form.

"It's all about landing the plane. That's what the playoffs are. There's 25 games left. We've taken a hit with Ben. I do see it this way. I'm not spinning it. It's an opportunity for us to learn, and something will emerge.

"We need something to emerge. We're going to learn something, and find something. If this were six games out? I wouldn't be telling you this story. When it's 25 games out, it's with all my heart what I think. That's what I said to my team, that's what I really think and that's what I'm going to try to pull off."