But a liberal dose of Max Factor doesn't half revitalise a sagging complexion and spare one or two blushes.

Simon Grayson's substitution surgery did the trick – not for the first time this term – as his trump card came to the party in a big way for the third home league game in succession.

United, who disappointed for 89 eminently forgettable minutes, were looking at having to settle for the most frustrating of draws against an admittedly gallant Orient side, whose performance deserved a point at least.

But a touch of last-gasp magic from super-sub Max Gradel broke the visitors' hearts, enabling United to heave an almighty sigh of relief as their six-point buffer was maintained right at the death – much to the chagrin of the likes of Charlton, Norwich and Colchester.

The va-va-vroom man from the Ivory Coast breathed new life into ailing United, just as he did in the home games with Yeovil Town and Norwich City.

Whether he stays beyond the end of his loan spell on January 2 is for another day. But one thing is for sure, if the Whites are ultimately cracking open the bubbly at the end of the season, some stellar moments from the Leicester City loan star will have been worth their weight in gold.

Although in truth, Gradel must be sick of the sight of champagne, he's been bestowed three bottles from home sponsors already since arriving in West Yorkshire and playing a grand total of around 75 minutes in three League One matches at Elland Road.

Grayson probably felt like buying him a jeroboam of it when his cracking strike flew into the net in front of a delirious Kop last night – his second strike in Whites' colours.

Yes, Gradel may have got United out of jail after an error-strewn and lacklustre display, but in the final analysis points make prizes, with promotion the be-all and end-all this term.

If the win over Brighton was beauty, this was most definitely the beast. But it was a maximum haul all the same – victories come in all shapes and sizes over the course of a 46-game season.

And a haul of 42 points from 17 matches speaks for itself in the final analysis.

What cannot be faulted is Grayson's troops' never-say-die attitude, with Gradel's strike amazingly the 11th goal United have scored in the final 10 minutes of league matches this term – exactly a third of their entire tally.

It's a trait that all the most successful sides possess.

The pivotal moment arrived as many Whites fans were contemplating heading for the exits – some already had following an insipid evening against the O's, who proved nothing like easybeats.

Gradel – who forced under-worked keeper Jamie Jones into making his first save after 82 long minutes – received the ball from fellow sub Aidan White and twisted the blood of a couple of bewildered O's defenders before firing home a rasping strike. Cue bedlam.

The previous cries of "Sign him up" reached a crescendo, with the young winger in danger of becoming a cult hero. If he isn't already.

The goal may have masked several sins following a poor team performance, but most Whites fans won't be caring a jot today.

That said, relief was the overriding emotion at the final whistle.

This time 12 months ago, United's season hit the rocks. And while a draw against the O's – famously the first side to take something from Elland Road after Dennis Wise's troops' peerless start to the 2007-08 season – wouldn't have exactly been time to contemplate doomsday, it would have been a bit of a reality check.

The hosts were rated 3/10 favourites to triumph ahead of the kick-off, with bookmakers offering 9/1 on the O's becoming the first side to win at Elland Road in 20 league matches.

Even the most optimistic visiting supporter must have been fearful of the side's chances, especially since they had been hammered 4-0 at United's promotion rivals Huddersfield and Norwich already this term.

But football can be a strange beast and while Orient's 4-5-1 formation, on paper, suggested a policy of park-the-bus containment, there was infinitely more to it than met the eye.

Admittedly, the O's retreated en masse when not in possession, but with the ball, they possessed plenty of go-forward and offensive endeavour, with their impetus catching United off guard for the bulk of the first half.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Grayson opted to stick with the same starting line-up which performed so admirably at Brighton, with the only change seeing Davide Somma replace Enoch Showunmi on the bench – although there was no place for Tresor Kandol.

But United palpably failed to carry on from where they left off at the Withdean Stadium and while the wind-swept conditions were lousy, the decision-making of the hosts was pretty abject in a dire first half.

On countless occasions, the Whites chose the wrong option and showed an annoying propensity to overhit passes and knock the ball long. all of the cultured football came from the visitors who displayed all the rhythm and poise on show.

Leeds looked ponderous by contrast and Orient quickly seized on the hosts' below-par showing with an effervescent first half display – the only downer for them being that they couldn't bag the goal they deserved.

Spurs loan star Andros Townsend, wearing a pair of dazzling lime-coloured boots, was at the heartbeat of it, turning in an illuminating half.

He saw a curling free-kick after just five minutes chalked off by referee Dave Foster, who presumably hadn't blown the whistle with the O's soon on the attack again.

Charlie Daniels outfoxed Robert Snodgrass and Sam Vokes before delivering a telling centre which was knocked back by Jimmy Smith into the path of Sean Thornton, whose goalbound low shot was diverted in the nick of time by Lubomir Michalik.

Lone frontman Scott McGleish then fired over before Townsend shot at Casper Ankergren.

Soon after, Vokes almost got on the end of an inch-perfect cross from Jonathan Howson in a rare incisive move from Leeds.

Orient gained a stranglehold in midfield, with Grayson watching on worryingly from his technical area, where he pretty much remained all evening.

Snodgrass wasted a decent free-kick opportunity before Leeds were indebted to an over-my-dead-body block from Patrick Kisnorbo in the nick of time to divert McGleish's effort, with Townsend's follow-up deflecting off Leigh Bromby.

United's only moment of threat arrived at the feet of Vokes, who showed a lack of composure after blazing over following Jermaine Beckford's knock-down.

While Brighton sought the haven of the interval on Saturday, it was United who were afforded some interval relief three days on.

United, their passing radar badly awry, needed to improve ten-fold after the break, with the patient crowd cajoling them on at the start of the second half.

But by and large, the pattern continued with many of the home punters losing patience and becoming more agitated by the minute.

Vokes did briefly escape from the shackles of the O's rearguard and fired across goal close to the hour mark – with his night ended on 62 minutes when Gradel came on.

And the sub went the closest of anyone when he acrobatically fired over on 71 minutes after Snodgrass' cross, while the Scot saw a close-range shot blocked by Tamika Mkandwire minutes later.

Home hopes seemed to lie at the feet of the diminutive midfielder and after his fierce effort was beaten away in the last 10 minutes by Jones, more virtuoso stuff finally saved the day.

Liverpool had David Fairclough and now Leeds have got the Max.