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The Red Devils' poor recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had Matheus Cunha to thank for the team avoiding even more disappointment against Leeds.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin directed a first-half effort against the post for the confident hosts before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute shot.

At that stage, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had failed to beat struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at home earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against opponents who had two days less to prepare, Cunha levelled three minutes later when he latched onto a pass from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and guided a finish underneath advancing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the South American's fourth goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when the manager is without several key attacking players due to a mix of fitness issues and international duty.

Not that you would expect Leeds to sympathise with that given their own tight schedule.

The Swiss attacker forced a full length save out of visiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is finding it hard to make an impact, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from close range.

The goalscorer, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post in the dying moments.

The point prolongs the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their longest such streak since over two decades ago, and takes them a significant margin clear of the relegation zone.

For the visitors though, it was yet another opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a matter of hours, squandered.

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again

With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a pretty quick exit.

Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on Amorim's squad.

It's not that the missing pair are the solution to all of United's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced poor results earlier in the season.

But without them, the boss has few attacking options.

He evidently does not trust youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward delivered the assist for the equaliser almost instantly after his introduction as a replacement.

That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored three goals in five games, and others playing out of their natural positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.

On this showing, the expensive frontman looks similar to previous struggling signings, lacking in confidence and assurance in front of goal.

His failure to turn home the cross means it is now a long run without a goal for the young striker.

Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Safety

After memorable victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to home was a comparatively subdued affair.

True, there were moments of expected fervor, but the intimidating edge was not as pronounced as in previous fixtures.

Leeds' fans were more preoccupied about their side's struggle to get sustained possession in dangerous areas for any prolonged period.

The Calvert-Lewin header that struck the post was an rare moment of threat in a tight first half.

It still felt as though the hosts were finding it tough when a mistake opened the door for Aaronson.

Ever so briefly, Leeds' ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against Manchester United.

However, there is a much bigger picture for the manager and Leeds to deal with.

When they suffered a poor run of form earlier in the season, many thought about the manager's position.

Instead, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

The job is not completed yet but step by step, the team are getting nearer to achieving their top-flight status.

Looking Ahead

Leeds have a Premier League trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a league trip to Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.