diff --git a/lib/_http_outgoing.js b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
index ea3d7e62556212..ae62e62c5671b7 100644
--- a/lib/_http_outgoing.js
+++ b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
@@ -548,6 +548,10 @@ function _storeHeader(firstLine, headers) {
       // Transfer-Encoding are removed by the user.
       // See: test/parallel/test-http-remove-header-stays-removed.js
       debug('Both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding are removed');
+
+      // We can't keep alive in this case, because with no header info the body
+      // is defined as all data until the connection is closed.
+      this._last = true;
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-http-remove-header-stays-removed.js b/test/parallel/test-http-remove-header-stays-removed.js
index 3885ebd905f758..92c1e45dd25d01 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-http-remove-header-stays-removed.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-http-remove-header-stays-removed.js
@@ -37,8 +37,6 @@ const server = http.createServer(function(request, response) {
   response.setHeader('date', 'coffee o clock');
 
   response.end('beep boop\n');
-
-  this.close();
 });
 
 let response = '';
@@ -57,5 +55,12 @@ server.listen(0, function() {
     res.on('data', function(chunk) {
       response += chunk;
     });
+
+    setTimeout(function() {
+      // The socket should be closed immediately, with no keep-alive, because
+      // no content-length or transfer-encoding are used:
+      assert.strictEqual(res.socket.closed, true);
+      server.close();
+    }, 10);
   });
 });