diff --git a/reactor-netty-http/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/client/HttpClientOperations.java b/reactor-netty-http/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/client/HttpClientOperations.java
index a0c8b56e74..06c1351818 100644
--- a/reactor-netty-http/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/client/HttpClientOperations.java
+++ b/reactor-netty-http/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/client/HttpClientOperations.java
@@ -752,7 +752,9 @@ protected void onInboundNext(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) {
 				log.debug(format(channel(), "Received last HTTP packet"));
 			}
 			if (msg != LastHttpContent.EMPTY_LAST_CONTENT) {
-				if (redirecting != null) {
+				// When there is HTTP/2 response with INBOUND HEADERS(endStream=false) followed by INBOUND DATA(endStream=true length=0),
+				// Netty sends LastHttpContent with empty buffer instead of EMPTY_LAST_CONTENT
+				if (redirecting != null || ((LastHttpContent) msg).content().readableBytes() == 0) {
 					ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
 				}
 				else {
diff --git a/reactor-netty-http/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/Http2Tests.java b/reactor-netty-http/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/Http2Tests.java
index 7d864a199d..dbac3bcd2f 100644
--- a/reactor-netty-http/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/Http2Tests.java
+++ b/reactor-netty-http/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/Http2Tests.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package reactor.netty.http;
 
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
+import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http2.Http2Connection;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http2.Http2FrameCodec;
 import io.netty.handler.ssl.util.InsecureTrustManagerFactory;
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@
 import reactor.util.annotation.Nullable;
 import reactor.util.function.Tuple2;
 
+import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 import java.security.cert.CertificateException;
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -695,4 +697,40 @@ private void doTestMaxStreams(HttpServer server, HttpClient client) {
 		    .expectComplete()
 		    .verify(Duration.ofSeconds(5));
 	}
+
+	@ParameterizedTest
+	@MethodSource("h2cCompatibleCombinations")
+	void testEmptyDataFrameH2C(HttpProtocol[] serverProtocols, HttpProtocol[] clientProtocols) {
+		doTestEmptyDataFrame(createServer().protocol(serverProtocols),
+				createClient(() -> disposableServer.address()).protocol(clientProtocols));
+	}
+
+	@ParameterizedTest
+	@MethodSource("h2CompatibleCombinations")
+	void testEmptyDataFrameH2(HttpProtocol[] serverProtocols, HttpProtocol[] clientProtocols) {
+		Http2SslContextSpec serverCtx = Http2SslContextSpec.forServer(ssc.certificate(), ssc.privateKey());
+		Http2SslContextSpec clientCtx =
+				Http2SslContextSpec.forClient()
+				                   .configure(builder -> builder.trustManager(InsecureTrustManagerFactory.INSTANCE));
+
+		doTestEmptyDataFrame(createServer().protocol(serverProtocols).secure(spec -> spec.sslContext(serverCtx)),
+				createClient(() -> disposableServer.address()).protocol(clientProtocols).secure(spec -> spec.sslContext(clientCtx)));
+	}
+
+	private void doTestEmptyDataFrame(HttpServer server, HttpClient client) {
+		disposableServer =
+				// Intentionality sends Flux with empty strings as we want to have
+				// OUTBOUND HEADERS(endStream=false) followed by OUTBOUND DATA(endStream=true length=0)
+				server.handle((req, res) -> res.sendString(Flux.just("", "")))
+				      .bindNow();
+
+		String expectation = "EMPTY";
+		client.get()
+		      .uri("/")
+		      .response((res, bytes) -> bytes.defaultIfEmpty(Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(expectation.getBytes(Charset.defaultCharset()))))
+		      .as(StepVerifier::create)
+		      .expectNextMatches(buf -> expectation.equals(buf.toString(Charset.defaultCharset())))
+		      .expectComplete()
+		      .verify(Duration.ofSeconds(5));
+	}
 }