At a Glance
Manchester United's poor run of form continued at Elland Road, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side not suffering even more damage against their old rivals.
The Everton loanee headed a first-period effort against the post for the confident hosts before the American midfielder finished superbly with a low, 62nd-minute effort.
At that stage, the United boss was under intense scrutiny after his side had been held by bottom-of-the-table Wolves at home earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, against opponents who had less time to prepare, the forward restored parity three minutes after the opener when he latched onto a through ball from substitute 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 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 the hosts to care about that given their own tight schedule.
The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and United 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 ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post in the dying moments.
The point prolongs the home side's unbeaten run to seven games, 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 opportunity to move into the Champions League places, albeit only for a matter of hours, squandered.
With the AFCON reaching its knockout phase, the United coach could be forgiven for hoping the involved countries make a pretty quick exit.
Existing injuries to captain Bruno Fernandes and Three Lions star 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 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 limited alternatives in attack.
He clearly does not trust youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Dutch forward provided the assist for the equaliser almost instantly after his introduction as a substitute.
That leaves the Brazilian, who has now scored three goals in recent outings, and others operating out of their preferred positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.
On this evidence, the big-money frontman looks similar to previous struggling signings, lacking in confidence and assurance 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.
After memorable victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their fiercest rivals to Elland Road was a bit drab affair.
True, there were moments of typical atmosphere, but the intimidating edge was not as evident as in previous encounters.
The home fans were more preoccupied about their side's inability to get worthwhile possession in advanced areas for any length of time.
The striker's header that clipped the post was an isolated moment of threat in a congested first half.
It still felt as though the hosts were finding it tough when a mistake opened the door for the opener.
For a short moment, Leeds' delirious fans thought they were about to secure a rare win against Manchester United.
Nevertheless, there is a much bigger picture for the manager and Leeds 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 masterminding clear improvement.
The job is not done yet but gradually, Leeds are getting nearer to securing their top-flight status.
Leeds 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 league trip to Burnley before also entering their cup journey with a home tie.
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