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

The Everton loanee headed a first-period effort against the woodwork for the in-form hosts 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 home earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against opponents who had less time to recover, the forward restored parity three minutes later when he latched onto a pass from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and guided a finish 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 several key attacking players due to a mix of injury and international duty.

Not that Leeds to care about 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 visiting heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is finding it hard to make an impression, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from six yards out.

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

The draw prolongs Leeds' unbeaten run to seven games, 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 short time, squandered.

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again

With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its knockout phase, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the involved countries make a pretty quick exit.

Current injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star Mason Mount only heightened the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on the team'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 suffered disappointing results earlier in the campaign.

But without them, Amorim has limited alternatives in attack.

He evidently does not have full faith in teenager Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward delivered the assist for the equaliser almost instantly after his arrival as a substitute.

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

On this showing, the expensive frontman looks no better than previous struggling signings, lacking in belief and assurance in front of goal.

Sesko's 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 Safety

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

True, there were instances of expected atmosphere, but the intimidating edge was not as evident as in other fixtures.

Leeds' fans were more preoccupied about their side's struggle to get worthwhile possession in dangerous 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 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 Manchester United.

Nevertheless, 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 future.

In contrast, he is now masterminding significant progress.

The job is not done yet but gradually, Leeds are getting nearer to achieving their survival.

Looking Ahead

Leeds have a top-flight trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. Manchester United face a Premier League trip to Turf Moor before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a home tie.