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The Red Devils' poor recent struggles persisted at Elland Road, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side avoiding even more damage against their old rivals.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin directed a first-half attempt against the post for the confident home team before Brenden Aaronson applied a cool finish with a low, 62nd-minute effort.

With the goal, Amorim was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by struggling Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against opponents who had two days less to recover, Cunha levelled three minutes later when he ran on to a through ball from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and guided a shot underneath rushing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the South American's fourth goal since his big-money summer move and came at a time when the manager is without four key attacking players due to a mix of injury and international duty.

Not that you would expect Leeds to sympathise with that given their own lack of preparation time.

Noah Okafor forced a full length save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular overhead kick, and United heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is struggling to make an impression, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from six yards out.

Cunha, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also fired against a post in the dying moments.

The point extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their best 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 short time, squandered.

Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Misfire Again

With the AFCON reaching its knockout phase, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a swift exit.

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

It's not that the absent players are the answer 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, Amorim has few alternatives in attack.

He evidently does not have full faith in youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward provided the assist for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a substitute.

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

On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks no better than previous underwhelming 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 new signing.

Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Survival

After memorable victories in their previous home games, the arrival of their biggest rivals to home was a bit drab affair.

True, there were instances of expected fervor, but the intimidating edge was not as pronounced as in other encounters.

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

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

It still felt as though the hosts were struggling when a defensive error 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 Daniel Farke and the club to deal with.

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

In contrast, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

The task is not completed yet but gradually, Leeds are getting closer to achieving their top-flight status.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club have a top-flight trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a Premier League trip to Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a home tie.