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The Red Devils' poor recent struggles persisted at Leeds' fortress, but manager the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side not suffering even more disappointment against Leeds.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed a first-period effort against the woodwork for the confident home team before the American midfielder applied a cool finish with a low, 62nd-minute shot.

With the goal, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at home earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against a team who had two days less to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a pass from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and guided a shot underneath advancing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the Brazilian's fourth goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when Amorim is without four key attacking players due to a combination of fitness issues and international duty.

Not that you would expect Leeds to care about that given their own tight schedule.

The Swiss attacker forced a full length save out of Manchester United 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 impact, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from six yards out.

The goalscorer, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also fired against a post late on.

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

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

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again

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

Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other attackers is having on Amorim's options.

It's not that the absent players are the solution to all of the club's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced disappointing results earlier in the season.

But without them, the boss has few alternatives in attack.

He clearly does not have full faith in youngster Shea Lacey or the seasoned Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the assist for the equaliser almost instantly after his arrival as a substitute.

That leaves Cunha, who has now scored three goals in five games, and others operating out of their preferred positions, alongside Sesko.

On this evidence, the expensive frontman looks no better than previous struggling signings, lacking in confidence and conviction in front of goal.

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

Leeds United Breakdown: Another Step Towards Safety

After thrilling victories in their previous home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to Elland Road was a comparatively subdued affair.

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

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

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

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

For a short moment, The home ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against their old foes.

Nevertheless, there is a wider context for Daniel Farke and Leeds to deal with.

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

In contrast, he is now masterminding significant progress.

The task is not done yet but gradually, Leeds are getting closer to securing their survival.

Looking Ahead

Leeds have a Premier League trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their FA Cup campaign next weekend. Manchester United face a league trip to Turf Moor before also entering their FA Cup journey with a home tie.