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The Red Devils' disappointing recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but manager Ruben Amorim had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side avoiding even more damage against their old rivals.

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

At that stage, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had been held by struggling Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

However, against a team who had less time to prepare, Cunha restored parity three minutes later when he latched onto a pass from substitute the Dutchman and slid a finish underneath rushing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the South American's fourth Premier League goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when the manager is without several key attacking players due to a mix of injury and international duty.

Not that you would expect the hosts 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 spectacular overhead kick, and United heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is finding it hard to make an impression, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from six yards out.

Cunha, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post in the dying moments.

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 relegation zone.

For the visitors though, it was yet another chance to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a matter of hours, wasted.

Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Misfire Again

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

Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on Amorim's options.

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 disappointing results earlier in the campaign.

But without them, Amorim has few attacking options.

He clearly 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 the Brazilian, who has now scored three goals in recent outings, and others playing out of their natural positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.

On this showing, the expensive frontman looks similar to previous underwhelming signings, lacking in belief and assurance 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 Survival

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

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

Leeds' fans were more preoccupied about their side's inability to get sustained 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 finding it tough when a defensive error opened the door for the opener.

For a short moment, The home 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 difficult run of form earlier in the season, many thought about the manager's position.

In contrast, he is now masterminding significant progress.

The job is not done yet but gradually, the team are getting closer to securing their survival.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club have a Premier League trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. Manchester United face a league trip to Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a home tie.