Newcastle United secured their place in the Premier League Cup knockout stages with a 3-0 home victory over Southampton.
Luke Charman opened the scoring with a close-range effort in the 28th minute before being forced off with an injury.
Yannick Toure scored two late goals to wrap up the win, which puts Newcastle four points clear of second-placed Saints in Group H with one match remaining.
Leeds United, in third, can catch Newcastle if they win their two remaining matches, but the Magpies are guaranteed a top-two finish to reach the last 16.
See: Newcastle report | Southampton report
Blades close in on last 16
Reece York's late goal earned Sheffield United a 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers to put them in a strong position to reach the knockout stages.
The Blades are second in Group B with one match remaining, two points ahead of third-placed Blackburn Rovers and two behind leaders Everton, who secured their place in the Round of 16 with a 1-1 draw against Blackburn on Friday.
See: Sheff Utd report | Everton report
Royals win group
Reading guaranteed top spot in Group G with a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City, who fought back from 2-0 down to move into second position.
Birmingham are one point above third-placed Fulham with one match left, while the Cottagers have two matches left.
See: Birmingham report | Reading report
Burnley hold Liverpool
Elsewhere, Burnley earned a goalless draw against Liverpool to move up to second place in a closely contested Group C.
The Clarets are on six points from five matches, one point below AFC Bournemouth and one above third-placed West Bromwich Albion, with both of those sides having one match in hand. Liverpool are fourth on four points.
See: Burnley report | Liverpool report
Win keeps Charlton hopes alive
Charlton Athletic won 3-0 at Peterborough United to maintain their hopes of reaching the last 16. The Addicks are third in Group A, three points behind second-placed Stoke City with two matches left.
PL Cup results
See: PL Cup tables
