Matheus Cunha Strikes to Snatch Man Utd a Point at Leeds.

The Red Devils' poor recent struggles persisted at Leeds' fortress, but manager Ruben Amorim had Matheus Cunha 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 Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute shot.

With the goal, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by struggling Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, against a team who had two days less to recover, the forward levelled three minutes later when he latched onto a through ball from introduced the Dutchman and guided a finish underneath advancing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the Brazilian's fourth goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when the manager is without four key attacking players due to a mix of injury and national team commitments.

Not that you would expect Leeds to care about that given their own lack of preparation time.

The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of visiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and United heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is finding it hard to make an impression, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from close range.

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

The point extends 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 opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a short time, wasted.

Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Struggle Again

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

Current 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 options.

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, the boss has limited attacking options.

He clearly does not trust youngster Shea Lacey or the seasoned Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward provided the assist for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a replacement.

That leaves Cunha, who has now scored three goals in recent outings, and others operating out of their natural positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.

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

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

Leeds Analysis: Another Step Towards Survival

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

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

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

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 Aaronson.

Ever so briefly, Leeds' 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 the club to deal with.

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

Instead, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

The job is not completed yet but step by step, the team are getting closer to securing their survival.

Looking Ahead

The Yorkshire club have a top-flight trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a league trip to Burnley before also entering their cup journey with a home tie.