At a Glance
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin watches a early header ricochet off the post.
- Aaronson puts the hosts ahead with a low strike in the second period.
- Cunha responds just three minutes afterwards.
- The Yorkshire side continue their best Premier League unbeaten run since the turn of the century.
Manchester United's disappointing recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side avoiding even more damage against Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed a first-period attempt against the woodwork for the confident hosts before the American midfielder applied a cool finish with a low, 62nd-minute effort.
With the goal, Amorim was under intense scrutiny after his side had failed to beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, against a team who had less time to recover, the forward levelled three minutes after the opener when he latched onto a through ball from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and guided a finish underneath advancing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
It was only the South American's fourth Premier League goal since his big-money summer move and came at a time when the manager is without four key attacking players due to a combination of injury and international duty.
Not that you would expect the hosts to care about that given their own lack of preparation time.
The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is finding it hard to make an impact, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from six yards out.
The goalscorer, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also blasted against a post in the dying moments.
The draw prolongs Leeds' unbeaten run to seven matches, their best 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 fourth spot, albeit only for a matter of hours, wasted.
Man Utd Analysis: Amorim's Side Misfire Again
With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, the United coach 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 heightened the impact the unavailability of other attackers 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, Amorim has few attacking options.
He clearly does not have full faith in teenager Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Joshua Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the assist for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his introduction as a replacement.
That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored a small tally in recent outings, and others operating out of their preferred positions, alongside Sesko.
On this showing, the big-money frontman looks no better than 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 new signing.
Leeds Analysis: A Further Step Towards Safety
After thrilling victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to home was a bit drab affair.
True, there were moments of typical fervor, but the hostile edge was not as evident as in previous fixtures.
The home fans were more concerned about their side's inability to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any length of time.
The striker's header that clipped the post was an isolated moment of quality in a congested 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 rare win against Manchester United.
However, there is a wider context for the manager and Leeds to deal with.
When they suffered a poor run of form earlier in the season, many thought about the manager's position.
Instead, he is now masterminding significant improvement.
The task is not done yet but step by step, the team are getting nearer to securing their survival.
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 Premier League trip to Burnley before also entering their cup journey with a home tie.
