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The Red Devils' poor recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach Ruben Amorim had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side not suffering even more disappointment against their old rivals.

The Everton loanee headed a first-half effort against the post for the confident hosts before Brenden Aaronson applied a cool finish with a driven, 62nd-minute shot.

At that stage, the United boss was in the firing line after his side had been held by struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

However, against opponents who had less time to prepare, the forward levelled three minutes after the opener when he ran on to a pass from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and slid a shot underneath advancing Leeds 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 several key attacking players due to a combination of fitness issues and international duty.

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

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

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

The draw extends Leeds' unbeaten run to seven games, their longest such streak since 2001, and takes them eight points clear of the drop zone.

For the Manchester United though, it was yet another opportunity to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a short time, wasted.

Man Utd Analysis: The Manager's Side Struggle Again

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

Existing injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the absence of other attackers is having on the team's squad.

It's not that the absent players are the solution to all of United'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 clearly does not trust teenager 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 Cunha, who has now scored a small tally in five games, and others operating out of their natural positions, alongside Sesko.

On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks similar to previous struggling signings, lacking in belief and conviction 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 Survival

After memorable victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their biggest rivals to Elland Road was a comparatively subdued affair.

True, there were moments of typical fervor, but the hostile edge was not as evident as in previous encounters.

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

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

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

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

However, there is a wider context for the manager and Leeds to deal with.

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

Instead, he is now overseeing significant progress.

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

Looking Ahead

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