diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index 11e946c893b7c3..a37df35f295e2d 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -320,10 +320,6 @@ ClientRequest.prototype.abort = function abort() {
   // If we're aborting, we don't care about any more response data.
   if (this.res) {
     this.res._dump();
-  } else {
-    this.once('response', (res) => {
-      res._dump();
-    });
   }
 
   // In the event that we don't have a socket, we will pop out of
@@ -572,12 +568,11 @@ function parserOnIncomingClient(res, shouldKeepAlive) {
   // Add our listener first, so that we guarantee socket cleanup
   res.on('end', responseOnEnd);
   req.on('prefinish', requestOnPrefinish);
-  const handled = req.emit('response', res);
 
   // If the user did not listen for the 'response' event, then they
   // can't possibly read the data, so we ._dump() it into the void
   // so that the socket doesn't hang there in a paused state.
-  if (!handled)
+  if (req.aborted || !req.emit('response', res))
     res._dump();
 
   if (method === 'HEAD')