diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index 676ed3b2c50aaa..183233e494c108 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ const {
 } = require('internal/dtrace');
 
 const INVALID_PATH_REGEX = /[^\u0021-\u00ff]/;
-const kOnSocket = Symbol('kOnSocket');
+const kError = Symbol('kError');
 
 function validateHost(host, name) {
   if (host !== null && host !== undefined && typeof host !== 'string') {
@@ -358,28 +358,17 @@ ClientRequest.prototype.destroy = function destroy(err) {
     this.res._dump();
   }
 
-  if (!this.socket) {
-    this.once(kOnSocket, (socket) => {
-      if (this.agent) {
-        socket.emit('free');
-      } else {
-        socket.destroy();
-      }
-
-      if (!this.aborted && !err) {
-        err = connResetException('socket hang up');
-      }
-
-      if (err) {
-        this.emit('error', err);
-      }
-      this.emit('close');
-    });
-  } else {
+  // In the event that we don't have a socket, we will pop out of
+  // the request queue through handling in onSocket.
+  if (this.socket) {
+    // in-progress
     this.socket.destroy(err);
+  } else if (err) {
+    this[kError] = err;
   }
 };
 
+
 function emitAbortNT(req) {
   req.emit('abort');
 }
@@ -710,12 +699,6 @@ function emitFreeNT(req) {
 }
 
 function tickOnSocket(req, socket) {
-  req.emit(kOnSocket, socket);
-
-  if (req.destroyed) {
-    return;
-  }
-
   const parser = parsers.alloc();
   req.socket = socket;
   parser.initialize(HTTPParser.RESPONSE,
@@ -776,9 +759,30 @@ function listenSocketTimeout(req) {
 }
 
 ClientRequest.prototype.onSocket = function onSocket(socket) {
-  process.nextTick(tickOnSocket, this, socket);
+  process.nextTick(onSocketNT, this, socket);
 };
 
+function onSocketNT(req, socket) {
+  if (req.destroyed) {
+    // If we were aborted while waiting for a socket, skip the whole thing.
+    if (!req.agent) {
+      socket.destroy(req[kError]);
+    } else {
+      socket.emit('free');
+      let err = req[kError];
+      if (!req.aborted && !err) {
+        err = connResetException('socket hang up');
+      }
+      if (err) {
+        req.emit('error', err);
+      }
+      req.emit('close');
+    }
+  } else {
+    tickOnSocket(req, socket);
+  }
+}
+
 ClientRequest.prototype._deferToConnect = _deferToConnect;
 function _deferToConnect(method, arguments_, cb) {
   // This function is for calls that need to happen once the socket is