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The Red Devils' poor run of form continued at Leeds' fortress, but manager the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side avoiding even more disappointment against Leeds.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin directed a first-half attempt against the woodwork for the confident home team before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute effort.

At that stage, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against opponents who had two days less to recover, Cunha levelled three minutes later when he latched onto a pass from introduced the Dutchman and guided a finish underneath rushing Leeds 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 combination of fitness issues and international duty.

Not that Leeds to care about that given their own lack of preparation time.

The Swiss attacker forced a full length save out of visiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is finding it hard to make an impression, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from close range.

Cunha, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the match, also fired against a post late on.

The draw extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven games, their longest such streak since 2001, and takes them a significant margin clear of the drop zone.

For the Manchester United though, it was yet another chance to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a matter of hours, wasted.

Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Struggle Again

With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its latter stages, Amorim could be understood for hoping the involved countries make a swift exit.

Existing injuries to skipper 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 disappointing results earlier in the campaign.

But without them, Amorim has few attacking options.

He evidently does not trust teenager Shea Lacey or the seasoned Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the through ball for the equaliser almost instantly after his arrival as a substitute.

That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored a small tally in recent outings, and others operating out of their natural positions, alongside Sesko.

On this showing, the big-money frontman looks no better than previous underwhelming signings, lacking in confidence and assurance in front of goal.

Sesko's failure to turn home Zirkzee's cross means it is now a long run without a goal for the new signing.

Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Survival

After thrilling victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their biggest rivals to Elland Road was a bit drab affair.

True, there were moments of expected atmosphere, but the hostile edge was not as pronounced as in other encounters.

Leeds' fans were more concerned about their side's struggle to get worthwhile possession in advanced areas for any prolonged period.

The striker's header that clipped the post was an rare moment of threat in a tight first half.

It still felt as though Leeds were finding it tough when a defensive error opened the door for the opener.

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 the club to deal with.

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

Instead, he is now overseeing significant progress.

The task is not completed yet but step by step, Leeds are getting closer to securing their top-flight status.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club 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 entering their cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.