Cunha Strikes to Snatch Man Utd a Share of the Spoils at Elland Road.

The Red Devils' poor recent struggles persisted at Elland Road, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side avoiding even more disappointment against Leeds.

The Everton loanee headed a first-half effort against the woodwork for the confident home team before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute shot.

At that stage, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had failed to beat struggling Wolves at home earlier in the week.

However, against opponents who had two days less to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a through ball from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and guided a shot underneath advancing home goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

It was only the South American's fourth goal since his big-money 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 the hosts to sympathise with that given their own lack of preparation time.

Noah Okafor forced a full length save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is finding it hard to make an impact, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from six yards out.

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

The draw extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their longest such streak since over two decades ago, and takes them a significant margin clear of the relegation zone.

For the Manchester United though, it was yet another chance 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, the United coach could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a swift exit.

Current injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the unavailability of other attackers is having on Amorim's squad.

It's not that the missing pair are the answer 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, Amorim has few attacking options.

He clearly does not have full faith in teenager Shea Lacey or the seasoned Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the assist for the equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a substitute.

That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored a small tally in recent outings, and others operating out of their natural positions, alongside Sesko.

On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks similar to previous underwhelming signings, lacking in belief and conviction in front of goal.

His failure to turn home the cross means it is now a long run without a goal for the young striker.

Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Survival

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

True, there were instances of expected fervor, but the hostile edge was not as evident as in previous encounters.

The home fans were more preoccupied about their side's inability to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any prolonged period.

The striker's header that struck 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.

For a short moment, The home delirious fans thought they were about to secure a coveted win against their old foes.

However, there is a much bigger picture for the manager and the club to deal with.

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

Instead, he is now overseeing clear improvement.

The job is not done yet but gradually, Leeds are getting closer to securing their top-flight status.

Looking Ahead

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. The Red Devils face a league trip to Turf Moor before also entering their FA Cup journey with a home tie.