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 03d275e02ed69187760569fb5186bc2e4ee35b2f..26c93f9878df6607af2b3333cf5c2b8e7ea8c565 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
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.NettyDataBufferFactory;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseCookie;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.LinkedMultiValueMap;
 import org.springframework.util.MultiValueMap;
@@ -49,7 +48,7 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 
 	private final NettyInbound inbound;
 
-	private final AtomicBoolean bodyConsumed = new AtomicBoolean();
+	private final AtomicBoolean rejectSubscribers = new AtomicBoolean();
 
 
 	public ReactorClientHttpResponse(HttpClientResponse response, NettyInbound inbound, ByteBufAllocator alloc) {
@@ -62,10 +61,18 @@ class ReactorClientHttpResponse implements ClientHttpResponse {
 	@Override
 	public Flux<DataBuffer> getBody() {
 		return this.inbound.receive()
-				.doOnSubscribe(s ->
-						// See https://github.com/reactor/reactor-netty/issues/503
-						Assert.state(this.bodyConsumed.compareAndSet(false, true),
-								"The client response body can only be consumed once."))
+				.doOnSubscribe(s -> {
+					if (this.rejectSubscribers.get()) {
+						throw new IllegalStateException("The client response body can only be consumed once.");
+					}
+				})
+				.doOnCancel(() -> {
+					// 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 intercept and reject them in that case.
+					this.rejectSubscribers.set(true);
+				})
 				.map(byteBuf -> {
 					byteBuf.retain();
 					return this.bufferFactory.wrap(byteBuf);
diff --git a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/function/client/DefaultWebClient.java b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/function/client/DefaultWebClient.java
index e66398fdfdf25ff43eae3b1969649f6399a700a4..d2ad4f1f901966aa9d7fe8f97c442b909339fcd2 100644
--- a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/function/client/DefaultWebClient.java
+++ b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/function/client/DefaultWebClient.java
@@ -447,8 +447,9 @@ class DefaultWebClient implements WebClient {
 		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 		private <T> Mono<T> drainBody(ClientResponse response, Throwable ex) {
 			// Ensure the body is drained, even if the StatusHandler didn't consume it,
-			// but ignore errors in case it did consume it.
-			return (Mono<T>) response.bodyToMono(Void.class).onErrorMap(ex2 -> ex).thenReturn(ex);
+			// but ignore exception, in case the handler did consume.
+			return (Mono<T>) response.bodyToMono(Void.class)
+					.onErrorResume(ex2 -> Mono.empty()).thenReturn(ex);
 		}
 
 		private static Mono<WebClientResponseException> createResponseException(ClientResponse response) {