At a Glance
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin watches a early header ricochet off the post.
- Aaronson fires the hosts ahead with a well-placed strike in the second period.
- Cunha levels just three minutes later.
- Leeds continue their longest top-flight undefeated streak since the turn of the century.
Manchester United's disappointing recent struggles continued at Leeds' fortress, but head coach Ruben Amorim had his Brazilian forward to thank for the team not suffering even more damage against Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin directed a first-half attempt against the woodwork for the in-form hosts before the American midfielder finished superbly with a low, 62nd-minute shot.
At that stage, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had been held by bottom-of-the-table Wolves at Old Trafford earlier in the week.
However, against opponents who had less time to recover, the forward levelled three minutes later when he latched onto a pass from introduced Joshua Zirkzee and guided a finish underneath advancing home 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 four key attacking players due to a mix of fitness issues and international duty.
Not that Leeds to sympathise with that given their own lack of preparation time.
The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, 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 disallowed for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post late on.
The point extends Leeds' unbeaten run to seven matches, their best such streak since over two decades ago, and takes them a significant margin clear of the drop zone.
For the visitors though, it was yet another chance to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a short time, squandered.
Manchester United Breakdown: The Manager's Side Struggle Again
With the AFCON reaching its latter stages, the United coach could be forgiven for hoping the involved countries make a swift exit.
Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star Mason Mount only heightened the impact the unavailability of other forwards is having on the team's options.
It's not that the absent players are the answer to all of the club's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced poor results earlier in the season.
But without them, Amorim has few alternatives in attack.
He evidently does not have full faith in teenager Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the assist for the equaliser almost instantly after his arrival as a substitute.
That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored three goals in recent outings, and others playing out of their preferred positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.
On this showing, the expensive frontman looks no better than previous underwhelming signings, lacking in confidence and conviction 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: A Further Step Towards Safety
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 instances of expected fervor, but the intimidating edge was not as pronounced as in other fixtures.
The home fans were more concerned about their side's inability to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any prolonged period.
The Calvert-Lewin header that clipped the post was an isolated moment of quality in a tight first half.
It still felt as though Leeds were finding it tough when a mistake opened the door for the opener.
For a short moment, The home delirious 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 endured a poor run of form earlier in the campaign, many speculated about the manager's future.
Instead, he is now masterminding significant improvement.
The task is not done yet but step by step, the team are getting closer to achieving their survival.
Looking Ahead
The Yorkshire club have a Premier League trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their FA Cup campaign next weekend. Manchester United face a Premier League trip to Burnley before also beginning their FA Cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.
