Carling Cup review:Swine flu maybe the big chat around Blackburn Rovers at the moment but Steven Reid appeared unaffected when making a goal-scoring return to action against Peterborough at Ewood Park.

Less than three days before Giovanni Trapattoni names his squad for the World Cup play-offs against France, Reid played 70 minutes for Rovers tonight and scored from the spot on the stroke of halftime before being replaced by David Dunn in a tactical switch.

The run-out will encourage both Sam Allardyce and Trapattoni, but it was Rovers physio Dave Fevre who Reid sought in the dugout after he hit the net. The two will hopefully be seeing less of each other after Reid departed the field with seemingly no side effects from the Achilles injury that has stifled his comeback this season.

Reid’s goal was one of seven at Ewood Park, where there was a place in the Carling Cup fifth round at stake.

A 25-yard strike from Morten Gamst Pedersen in the fourth minute got the Premier League side off to a perfect start but a Chris Whelpdale header levelled it up in the 17th minute.

Reid’s intervention was drilled low, hard and straight down the middle from 12 yards out after Joe Lewis was sent off for taking down Gamst Pedersen in the area.

It seemed a straightforward task for Rovers from then on, but within five minutes of the restart Peterborough had levelled again. Whelpdale was involved once more, surging forward and squaring the ball to George Boyd, who had the time and space to lash a ferocious strike past Jason Brown with his left foot.

Blackburn then wasted a glorious opportunity to regain the lead as David Hoilett fed a tricky ball across the box, Brett Emerton failed to make contact and then Pedersen blazed his shot over the bar when it seemed easier to hit the back of the net.

The Premier League side soon made amends though as Michel Salgado struck his first goal for the club, the Spaniard getting on the end of a delightfully lofted pass from Emerton in the 57th minute and slipping it in at the near post.

Benni McCarthy then hit a fourth before another penalty, this time from Nicola Kalinic, put the tie to bed.

Manchester United'ssecond string overcame the dismissal of Gary Neville to march into the last eight of the Carling Cup thanks to goals in each half from Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen to beat Barnsley2-0.

Welbeck headed home Anderson's corner while unmarked in the fifth minute and Owen's neat finish just before the hour-mark put the holders in the clear in front of a sell-out crowd at Oakwell.

Barnsley skipper Stephen Foster hit the angle of post and crossbar in the first half, but even after Neville's straight red card for a high tackle on Adam Hammill, the Coca-Cola Championship side were unable to bridge the gulf in class.

Frederic Piquionne provided the inspiration as Portsmouthstormed into the quarter-finals by demolishing Stoke4-0 at Fratton Park.

The worst scoring record in the Barclays Premier League may have left Pompey rooted to the foot of the table, but they had few problems hitting the target in the cup.

Piquionne struck twice and set up another for Danny Webber before Kanu completed the rout to make it 11 goals from their three matches in the competition so far.

Tom Huddlestone and Robbie Keane got Tottenhamdreaming of Carling Cup glory again after reaching the quarter-finals at the expense of Everton2-0 at White Hart Lane.

Spurs reached the final of the competition in the last two seasons, winning it in 2008, and they are two ties from Wembley again after Huddlestone's thunderbolt volley and Keane following up his own saved penalty.

They still needed saves from Heurelho Gomes at the start of each half to extend Everton's run of matches without a win to five.

After a missed a penalty late in the second half from Sunderland'sKenwyne Jones ensured their tie with Aston Villaended scoreless after 90 minutes, the two played out a goalless 30 minutes of extra-time.

Martin O'Neill's side won 3-1 on penalties thanks to American goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who saved the first two efforts from Andy Reid and Lorik Cana.

Gabriel Agbonlahor also missed for Villa but Guzan promptly denied Jordan Henderson to leave Ashley Young to score the winner.