At a Glance
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin watches a first-half header ricochet off the post.
- Aaronson puts the hosts ahead with a well-placed strike in the second half.
- Matheus Cunha levels just three minutes afterwards.
- The Yorkshire side continue their longest top-flight undefeated streak since the turn of the century.
The Red Devils' poor recent struggles persisted at Elland Road, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had his Brazilian forward to thank for his side not suffering even more damage against their old rivals.
The Everton loanee headed a first-half effort against the post for the in-form home team before Brenden Aaronson applied a cool finish with a low, 62nd-minute effort.
With the goal, Amorim was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at home earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, against opponents who had two days less to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes after the opener when he ran on to a through ball from substitute the Dutchman and slid a finish underneath advancing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
It was only the Brazilian's fourth goal since his high-profile summer move and came at a time when Amorim is without several key attacking players due to a mix of injury and national team commitments.
Not that you would expect Leeds to care about that given their own lack of preparation time.
The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of visiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious 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 six yards out.
The goalscorer, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post late on.
The draw extends the home side's unbeaten run to seven matches, their longest such streak since 2001, and takes them a significant margin clear of the drop zone.
For the Manchester United though, it was yet another chance to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a short time, squandered.
Manchester United Breakdown: Amorim's Side Misfire Again
With the Africa Cup of Nations reaching its knockout phase, Amorim could be forgiven for hoping the participating nations make a pretty quick exit.
Current injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and England international 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 solution to all of the club's problems. After all, they were part of the side that experienced poor results earlier in the campaign.
But without them, the boss has few attacking options.
He clearly does not have full faith in youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward provided the through ball for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a substitute.
That leaves Cunha, who has now scored a small tally in five games, and others playing out of their preferred positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.
On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks similar to previous underwhelming signings, lacking in belief and conviction 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 Analysis: Another Step Towards Survival
After memorable victories in their previous home games, the arrival of their biggest 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 encounters.
The home fans were more concerned about their side's struggle to get sustained possession in advanced areas for any length of time.
The striker's header that clipped the post was an rare moment of quality in a congested first half.
It still felt as though Leeds were finding it tough when a defensive error opened the door for the opener.
For a short moment, Leeds' ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against Manchester United.
However, there is a wider context for Daniel Farke and Leeds to deal with.
When they suffered a difficult run of form earlier in the campaign, many speculated about the manager's position.
Instead, he is now overseeing significant improvement.
The job is not done yet but step by step, Leeds are getting nearer to achieving their survival.
Looking Ahead
The Yorkshire club have a top-flight trip to St James' Park in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a Premier League trip to Turf Moor before also beginning their cup journey with a home tie.
