At a Glance
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin sees a early header come back off the post.
- Aaronson fires the hosts ahead with a well-placed finish in the second half.
- Cunha levels only three minutes later.
- Leeds extend their best top-flight unbeaten run since the turn of the century.
The Red Devils' poor recent struggles continued at Elland Road, but manager the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side avoiding even more disappointment against their old rivals.
The Everton loanee directed a first-period effort against the post for the confident hosts before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute effort.
At that stage, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had failed to beat struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, against a team who had two days less to prepare, Cunha restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a through ball from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and slid a shot underneath rushing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
It was only the Brazilian'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 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 spectacular overhead kick, and United 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 ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also blasted against a post late on.
The point extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their best such streak since 2001, and takes them a significant margin clear of the drop zone.
For the Manchester United though, it was yet another opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a short time, wasted.
Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Struggle Again
With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its knockout phase, the United coach could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a swift exit.
Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on Amorim's squad.
It's not that the absent players are the answer to all of United's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced poor results earlier in the season.
But without them, the boss has limited attacking options.
He evidently does not trust youngster Shea Lacey or the seasoned Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the assist for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his introduction as a substitute.
That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored a small tally in five games, and others playing out of their natural positions, alongside Sesko.
On this showing, the big-money frontman looks similar to previous underwhelming signings, lacking in confidence and assurance in front of goal.
Sesko's failure to turn home the cross means it is now a long run without a goal for the new signing.
Leeds United Breakdown: A Further Step Towards Survival
After thrilling victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to Elland Road was a bit drab affair.
True, there were moments of expected atmosphere, but the intimidating edge was not as evident as in other fixtures.
Leeds' fans were more concerned about their side's struggle to get sustained possession in dangerous areas for any length of time.
The striker's header that clipped the post was an rare moment of threat in a tight first half.
It still felt as though Leeds were struggling when a defensive error opened the door for Aaronson.
Ever so briefly, Leeds' ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a coveted win against their old foes.
However, there is a wider context for the manager and the club to deal with.
When they endured a difficult run of form earlier in the campaign, many thought about the manager's future.
Instead, he is now masterminding significant progress.
The job is not completed yet but step by step, the team are getting nearer to achieving 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 Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a home tie.
