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The Red Devils' poor run of form persisted at Leeds' fortress, but head coach Ruben Amorim had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side not suffering even more disappointment against Leeds.

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

At that stage, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers at home earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against a team who had less time to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a pass from substitute the Dutchman and guided a shot underneath advancing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the South American's fourth goal since his big-money summer move and came at a time when Amorim is without several key attacking players due to a mix of injury and national team commitments.

Not that Leeds to sympathise with that given their own tight schedule.

Noah Okafor 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.

Cunha, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the match, also blasted against a post late on.

The draw prolongs the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their best such streak since over two decades ago, and takes them eight points 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.

Man Utd Analysis: Amorim's Side Struggle Again

With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, the United coach could be forgiven 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 have full faith in youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward delivered the assist for the equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a replacement.

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

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

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

Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Safety

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

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

Leeds' fans were more concerned 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 congested first half.

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

Ever so briefly, The home delirious fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against their old foes.

Nevertheless, 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 thought about the manager's future.

Instead, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

The task is not completed yet but gradually, Leeds are getting nearer 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 league trip to Turf Moor before also entering their FA Cup journey with a home tie.