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The Red Devils' disappointing recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach Ruben Amorim had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side avoiding even more disappointment against Leeds.

The Everton loanee headed a first-period attempt against the woodwork for the confident home team before the American midfielder 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 failed to beat struggling Wolves at home earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against opponents who had two days less to recover, the forward levelled three minutes later when he ran on to a pass from introduced the Dutchman and guided a finish underneath advancing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the Brazilian's fourth Premier League goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when Amorim is without four key attacking players due to a combination of injury and international duty.

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

Noah Okafor forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is struggling 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 contest, also blasted against a post late on.

The draw extends Leeds' unbeaten run to seven games, their longest such streak since over two decades ago, and takes them eight points clear of the relegation zone.

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

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again

With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, Amorim could be understood for hoping the involved countries make a swift exit.

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

It's not that the absent players are the answer 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 youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward delivered the assist for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his introduction as a substitute.

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

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

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

Leeds United Breakdown: Another Step Towards Safety

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

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

Leeds' fans were more concerned about their side's struggle to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any length of time.

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

It still felt as though Leeds were finding it tough when a mistake 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 much bigger picture for Daniel Farke and Leeds to deal with.

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

In contrast, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

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

What Happens Next?

The Yorkshire club have a top-flight trip to St James' Park 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 cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.