At a Glance
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin sees a first-half header come back off the post.
- Aaronson puts the home side ahead with a well-placed finish in the second half.
- Matheus Cunha levels just three minutes later.
- The Yorkshire side continue their longest top-flight unbeaten run since 2001.
The Red Devils' poor recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side not suffering even more disappointment against Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin directed a first-period effort against the post for the confident hosts before Brenden Aaronson applied a cool finish with a driven, 62nd-minute effort.
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.
However, against opponents who had less time to recover, Cunha levelled three minutes after the opener when he ran on to a through ball from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and slid a finish underneath rushing home 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 mix of injury and national team commitments.
Not that Leeds to sympathise with that given their own lack of preparation time.
Noah Okafor forced a diving 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 impression, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from close range.
The goalscorer, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post late on.
The point prolongs the home side's unbeaten run to seven games, their longest 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 opportunity to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a short time, wasted.
Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Struggle Again
With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, the United coach could be understood for hoping the involved countries make a pretty quick exit.
Current injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on Amorim'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 limited attacking options.
He clearly does not have full faith in teenager Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward delivered the through ball 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 playing 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 nine games without a goal for the new signing.
Leeds United Breakdown: A Further Step Towards Safety
After memorable victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to home was a comparatively subdued affair.
True, there were instances of expected fervor, but the hostile edge was not as pronounced as in other fixtures.
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 rare 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 the opener.
Ever so briefly, Leeds' ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a coveted win against Manchester United.
Nevertheless, there is a wider context for Daniel Farke and Leeds to deal with.
When they suffered a poor run of form earlier in the season, many thought about the manager's position.
In contrast, he is now overseeing significant progress.
The job is not done yet but gradually, Leeds are getting closer to securing their survival.
Looking Ahead
The Yorkshire club have a Premier League trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a Premier League trip to Turf Moor before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a home tie.
