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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 his side avoiding even more damage against their old rivals.

The Everton loanee directed a first-period attempt against the post for the confident home team before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a low, 62nd-minute shot.

With the goal, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had failed to beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

However, against opponents who had less time to recover, Cunha restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a pass from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and guided a shot underneath advancing 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 Amorim is without several key attacking players due to a combination of injury and national team commitments.

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

The Swiss attacker forced a full length save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and United heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is finding it hard to make an impact, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from six yards out.

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

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

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

Man Utd Analysis: Amorim's Side Struggle Again

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

Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star Mason Mount only heightened the impact the absence of other attackers is having on the team's squad.

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

But without them, Amorim has few attacking options.

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

That leaves Cunha, who has now scored a small tally in five games, and others playing out of their preferred positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.

On this showing, the big-money 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 thrilling victories in their previous home games, the arrival of their biggest rivals to home was a bit drab affair.

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

The home fans were more preoccupied about their side's inability to get worthwhile possession in advanced areas for any length of time.

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

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

For a short moment, Leeds' ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against Manchester United.

However, there is a wider context for Daniel Farke and the club to deal with.

When they suffered a difficult run of form earlier in the campaign, many speculated about the manager's future.

Instead, he is now masterminding significant progress.

The task is not done yet but gradually, the team are getting closer to achieving their survival.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club 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 Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.