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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 not suffering even more disappointment against Leeds.

The Everton loanee directed a first-half attempt against the post for the in-form home team before the American midfielder finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute effort.

At that stage, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had failed to beat struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at home earlier in the week.

However, against a team who had two days less to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes later when he latched onto a through ball from introduced the Dutchman and slid a finish underneath advancing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

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

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

The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular 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 disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also blasted against a post late on.

The point extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their longest such streak since 2001, and takes them eight points clear of the drop zone.

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

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again

With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its latter stages, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a pretty quick exit.

Existing injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star 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 answer to all of United's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced poor results earlier in the campaign.

But without them, Amorim has limited alternatives in attack.

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

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

On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks no better than previous underwhelming signings, lacking in belief and conviction in front of goal.

His failure to turn home the cross means it is now nine games without a goal for the young striker.

Leeds Analysis: Another Step Towards Safety

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

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

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

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

It still felt as though Leeds were struggling when a mistake opened the door for the opener.

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

Instead, he is now masterminding significant improvement.

The job is not done yet but step by step, Leeds are getting nearer to securing their survival.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club have a Premier League trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their FA Cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a league trip to Turf Moor before also entering their FA Cup journey with a home tie.