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Manchester United's poor recent struggles continued at Elland Road, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side avoiding even more damage against their old rivals.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed a first-period attempt against the post for the confident hosts before Brenden Aaronson applied a cool finish with a driven, 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 opponents who had less time to recover, Cunha restored parity three minutes later when he ran on to a through ball from substitute the Dutchman and slid a finish underneath rushing Leeds 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 Amorim is without several key attacking players due to a combination of injury and national team commitments.

Not that you would expect the hosts to care about that given their own tight schedule.

The Swiss attacker forced a full length save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is struggling to make an impact, turned his teammate's cut-back wide from close range.

The goalscorer, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also blasted against a post late on.

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

For the visitors though, it was yet another opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a short time, squandered.

Man Utd Analysis: The Manager's Side Struggle Again

With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its latter stages, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a swift exit.

Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only heightened the impact the unavailability of other attackers is having on the team'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 suffered poor results earlier in the campaign.

But without them, Amorim has few alternatives in attack.

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 through ball for the 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 evidence, the big-money frontman looks no better than previous struggling signings, lacking in belief and assurance in front of goal.

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

Leeds United Breakdown: Another Step Towards Safety

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

True, there were instances of expected atmosphere, but the hostile edge was not as pronounced as in other encounters.

The home fans were more preoccupied about their side's struggle to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any length of time.

The striker's header that struck the post was an rare moment of threat 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 rare win against their old foes.

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

When they suffered 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 achieving their survival.

Looking Ahead

Leeds have a Premier League trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their FA Cup campaign next weekend. Manchester United face a Premier League trip to Burnley before also entering their cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.