Man Utd rescue point at Leeds after Ruben Amorim’s disgusted reaction - 5 talking points - The Mirror

LEEDS UNITED 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED: Leeds and Man United exchanged goals around the hour mark after a flat first half which did little to help either team at Elland Road

Leeds United and Manchester United played out a draw at Elland Road after the hosts failed to capitalise on their opponents' slow start. Brenden Aaronson got the wrong side of Ayden Heaven to fire Leeds in front, only for Matheus Cunha to deliver an instant equaliser.

The home side had chances to restore their lead, with Senne Lammens producing a fine save to keep out Noah Okafor's acrobatic effort and substitute Joel Piroe almost hitting a winner moments after coming off the bench. In between those chances, Cunha came close to snatching victory for the visitors, only for his effort to clip the outside of the post.

United had the ball in the net early on in a quiet first half, but Cunha's celebrations were cut short by an offside flag. Leeds had been victims of a flag themselves in their midweek game against Liverpool, and the man involved that time, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, had an early sniff of goal on his return to the starting XI.

Neither team showed much quality before the break, and the opening exchanges were summed up when Diogo Dalot swung at an inviting ball and sent it flying over the crossbar. At the other end, Leeds had two penalty appeals brushed off in short order, one for handball and another when James Justin went down under pressure from Lisandro Martinez.

It was almost 1-0 to the hosts moments after that, though. Calvert-Lewin rose highest to meet an inviting cross from the right and headed against the foot of the post with Senne Lammens beaten.

It wasn't until the hour mark that the game truly came to life. Aaronson capitalised on Heaven's uncertainty at the back before confidently beating Lammens, only for United sub Joshua Zirkzee to create an instant response from Cunha.

In the end, though, a point will feel like less than either team wanted but more or less what they deserved. Here are Mirror Football's talking points from Elland Road.

1. Zirkzee forces Amorim rethink

Given the scale of United's absentee list, Joshua Zirkzee's failure to earn a start was hardly a vote of confidence. If he can't get one now then one imagines he will be well down the pecking order once the likes of Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo are back in contention.

Whatever United wanted from the Dutchman, it hasn't arrived with nearly enough consistency and that debut goal against Fulham feels a lifetime away. He can still offer something in an attacking sense, though, and made an immediate impact from the bench with his assist for Cunha's equaliser after a disgusted Ruben Amorim responded to going a goal behind by instantly introducing an extra attacker.

There were reports in Italy earlier in the week suggesting a loan move to Roma remains possible, perhaps followed by a summer swap deal involving centre-back Evan Ndicka. After this cameo, though, he may have convinced Amorim he deserves another chance.

2. Calvert-Lewin makes his England case

There's been growing noise around an England recall for Dominic Calvert-Lewin following his form for Leeds. He went into Sunday's game with eight league goals to his name this term - more than he managed in any of his last four Everton seasons - at a rate of one every 142 minutes.

You have to go back to the 2020/21 season for the last time he reached double figures in the Premier League. That's also the last time he was called up by England, with his most recent cap coming in the Euro 2020 quarter-final victory over Ukraine, but a first-half header against the post was another reminder he's a player with both form and confidence.

Thomas Tuchel has decisions to make when preparing his England squad ahead of the summer World Cup. If Calvert-Lewin is still playing like this going into the March international break, you wouldn't be surprised to see the boss take a closer look.

3. Man Utd's transfer test

Ruben Amorim has been cagey when discussing Manchester United's transfer plans, hinting that it could be a quiet January. However, the threadbare nature of the bench may well remain a concern.

Six of the eight United outfielders on the bench are academy youngsters, five of them teenagers, and Amorim opted not to introduce any of them on Sunday. As well as those youngsters, 19-year-old Heaven started once more at centre-back and sadly showed his inexperience to allow Leeds to break the deadlock.

Heaven joined in what was a relatively restrained winter window last year but has quickly shown his worth, despite the unwelcome moment at Elland Road. The second half of the current campaign may be about Amorim improving the players he has rather than finding a quick fix.

4. Leeds' long wait continues

Before kick-off, you had to go back more than 20 years for the last time Leeds beat Manchester United at Elland Road. They might have been out of the top flight for a considerable period in between but that's still six league or cup encounters with five away wins and a solitary goalless draw in 2021.

This felt like as good a chance as any to end that unwanted run, and they looked destined to win when Aaronson fired them in front. Had they been able to avoid an instant reply, there may well have been no way back for the visitors.

Instead, though, they had to settle for a point. It's still a valuable one after weekend defeats for fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest and West Ham but it could have been more.

5. Sesko's struggles a real concern

Benjamin Sesko had support from Joshua Zirkzee in United's last game against Wolves, with the latter scoring at Old Trafford. Zirkzee dropped to the bench on Sunday, and the focus on his fellow forward didn't seem to benefit summer arrival Sesko.

Despite the Slovenia star's relative youth, he's a player with plenty of top level experience. However, his first 15 Premier League outings - including nine starts - brought just two goals before kick-off at Elland Road.

Some fans have pointed to a lack of service, but that hasn't been the only problem. A wayward header from Casemiro's 54th minute cross pointed to a lack of precision from the leading man, even if an offside flag made it moot, and a worse miss followed 17 minutes from time after Zirkzee's cutback.

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