diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpConnector.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpConnector.java
index b001022966d..cd7bbe70cf5 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpConnector.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpConnector.java
@@ -116,8 +116,8 @@ public class ReactorClientHttpConnector implements ClientHttpConnector {
 				.next()
 				.doOnCancel(() -> {
 					ReactorClientHttpResponse response = responseRef.get();
-					if (response != null && response.bodyNotSubscribed()) {
-						response.getConnection().dispose();
+					if (response != null) {
+						response.releaseAfterCancel(method);
 					}
 				});
 	}
diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpResponse.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpResponse.java
index 7b507544455..e0615dbc2c7 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpResponse.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/ReactorClientHttpResponse.java
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 import java.util.function.BiFunction;
 
+import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufAllocator;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
 import reactor.netty.Connection;
 import reactor.netty.NettyInbound;
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ import reactor.netty.http.client.HttpClientResponse;
 import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.DataBuffer;
 import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.NettyDataBufferFactory;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpMethod;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseCookie;
 import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
@@ -43,19 +47,21 @@ import org.springframework.util.MultiValueMap;
  */
 class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 
+	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(ReactorClientHttpResponse.class);
+
 	private final HttpClientResponse response;
 
+	private final HttpHeaders headers;
+
 	private final NettyInbound inbound;
 
 	private final NettyDataBufferFactory bufferFactory;
 
-	private final Connection connection;
-
-	private final HttpHeaders headers;
-
-	// 0 - not subscribed, 1 - subscribed, 2 - cancelled
+	// 0 - not subscribed, 1 - subscribed, 2 - cancelled, 3 - cancelled via connector (before subscribe)
 	private final AtomicInteger state = new AtomicInteger(0);
 
+	private final String logPrefix;
+
 
 	/**
 	 * Constructor that matches the inputs from
@@ -64,11 +70,25 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 	 */
 	public ReactorClientHttpResponse(HttpClientResponse response, Connection connection) {
 		this.response = response;
-		this.inbound = connection.inbound();
-		this.bufferFactory = new NettyDataBufferFactory(connection.outbound().alloc());
-		this.connection = connection;
 		MultiValueMap<String, String> adapter = new NettyHeadersAdapter(response.responseHeaders());
 		this.headers = HttpHeaders.readOnlyHttpHeaders(adapter);
+		this.inbound = connection.inbound();
+		this.bufferFactory = new NettyDataBufferFactory(connection.outbound().alloc());
+		this.logPrefix = (logger.isDebugEnabled() ? "[" + connection.channel().id().asShortText() + "] " : "");
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Constructor with inputs extracted from a {@link Connection}.
+	 * @deprecated as of 5.2.8
+	 */
+	@Deprecated
+	public ReactorClientHttpResponse(HttpClientResponse response, NettyInbound inbound, ByteBufAllocator alloc) {
+		this.response = response;
+		MultiValueMap<String, String> adapter = new NettyHeadersAdapter(response.responseHeaders());
+		this.headers = HttpHeaders.readOnlyHttpHeaders(adapter);
+		this.inbound = inbound;
+		this.bufferFactory = new NettyDataBufferFactory(alloc);
+		this.logPrefix = "";
 	}
 
 
@@ -76,14 +96,20 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 	public Flux<DataBuffer> getBody() {
 		return this.inbound.receive()
 				.doOnSubscribe(s -> {
-					if (!this.state.compareAndSet(0, 1)) {
-						// https://github.com/reactor/reactor-netty/issues/503
-						// FluxReceive rejects multiple subscribers, but not after a cancel().
-						// Subsequent subscribers after cancel() will not be rejected, but will hang instead.
-						// So we need to reject once in cancelled state.
-						if (this.state.get() == 2) {
-							throw new IllegalStateException("The client response body can only be consumed once.");
-						}
+					if (this.state.compareAndSet(0, 1)) {
+						return;
+					}
+					// https://github.com/reactor/reactor-netty/issues/503
+					// FluxReceive rejects multiple subscribers, but not after a cancel().
+					// Subsequent subscribers after cancel() will not be rejected, but will hang instead.
+					// So we need to reject once in cancelled state.
+					if (this.state.get() == 2) {
+						throw new IllegalStateException(
+								"The client response body can only be consumed once.");
+					}
+					else if (this.state.get() == 3) {
+						throw new IllegalStateException(
+								"The client response body has been released already due to cancellation.");
 					}
 				})
 				.doOnCancel(() -> this.state.compareAndSet(1, 2))
@@ -113,6 +139,7 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 		MultiValueMap<String, ResponseCookie> result = new LinkedMultiValueMap<>();
 		this.response.cookies().values().stream().flatMap(Collection::stream)
 				.forEach(c ->
+
 					result.add(c.name(), ResponseCookie.fromClientResponse(c.name(), c.value())
 							.domain(c.domain())
 							.path(c.path())
@@ -124,17 +151,25 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * For use by {@link ReactorClientHttpConnector}.
+	 * Called by {@link ReactorClientHttpConnector} when a cancellation is detected
+	 * but the content has not been subscribed to. If the subscription never
+	 * materializes then the content will remain not drained. Or it could still
+	 * materialize if the cancellation happened very early, or the response
+	 * reading was delayed for some reason.
 	 */
-	boolean bodyNotSubscribed() {
-		return this.state.get() == 0;
+	void releaseAfterCancel(HttpMethod method) {
+		if (mayHaveBody(method) && this.state.compareAndSet(0, 3)) {
+			if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
+				logger.debug(this.logPrefix + "Releasing body, not yet subscribed.");
+			}
+			this.inbound.receive().doOnNext(byteBuf -> {}).subscribe(byteBuf -> {}, ex -> {});
+		}
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * For use by {@link ReactorClientHttpConnector}.
-	 */
-	Connection getConnection() {
-		return this.connection;
+	private boolean mayHaveBody(HttpMethod method) {
+		int code = this.getRawStatusCode();
+		return !((code >= 100 && code < 200) || code == 204 || code == 205 ||
+				method.equals(HttpMethod.HEAD) || getHeaders().getContentLength() == 0);
 	}
 
 	@Override