diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpConnector.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpConnector.java
index 2556b43ebc..75dfdc8260 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpConnector.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpConnector.java
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 
 import org.eclipse.jetty.client.HttpClient;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.client.api.Request;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.reactive.client.ContentChunk;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.reactive.client.ReactiveRequest;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 
@@ -81,7 +83,8 @@ public class JettyClientHttpConnector implements ClientHttpConnector {
 	 * Constructor with an {@link JettyResourceFactory} that will manage shared resources.
 	 * @param resourceFactory the {@link JettyResourceFactory} to use
 	 * @param customizer the lambda used to customize the {@link HttpClient}
-	 * @deprecated as of 5.2, in favor of {@link JettyClientHttpConnector#JettyClientHttpConnector(HttpClient, JettyResourceFactory)}
+	 * @deprecated as of 5.2, in favor of
+	 * {@link JettyClientHttpConnector#JettyClientHttpConnector(HttpClient, JettyResourceFactory)}
 	 */
 	@Deprecated
 	public JettyClientHttpConnector(JettyResourceFactory resourceFactory, @Nullable Consumer<HttpClient> customizer) {
@@ -117,14 +120,14 @@ public class JettyClientHttpConnector implements ClientHttpConnector {
 			}
 		}
 
-		JettyClientHttpRequest clientHttpRequest = new JettyClientHttpRequest(
-				this.httpClient.newRequest(uri).method(method.toString()), this.bufferFactory);
+		Request request = this.httpClient.newRequest(uri).method(method.toString());
 
-		return requestCallback.apply(clientHttpRequest).then(Mono.from(
-				clientHttpRequest.getReactiveRequest().response((response, chunks) -> {
-					Flux<DataBuffer> content = Flux.from(chunks).map(this::toDataBuffer);
-					return Mono.just(new JettyClientHttpResponse(response, content));
-				})));
+		return requestCallback.apply(new JettyClientHttpRequest(request, this.bufferFactory))
+				.then(Mono.fromDirect(ReactiveRequest.newBuilder(request).build()
+						.response((reactiveResponse, chunkPublisher) -> {
+							Flux<DataBuffer> content = Flux.from(chunkPublisher).map(this::toDataBuffer);
+							return Mono.just(new JettyClientHttpResponse(reactiveResponse, content));
+						})));
 	}
 
 	private DataBuffer toDataBuffer(ContentChunk chunk) {
diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpRequest.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpRequest.java
index f9b17e5775..3395327bf8 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpRequest.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JettyClientHttpRequest.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import java.util.function.Function;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.client.api.Request;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.reactive.client.ContentChunk;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.reactive.client.ReactiveRequest;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.reactive.client.internal.PublisherContentProvider;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.util.Callback;
 import org.reactivestreams.Publisher;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
@@ -33,10 +34,10 @@ import reactor.core.publisher.MonoSink;
 import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.DataBuffer;
 import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.DataBufferFactory;
 import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.DataBufferUtils;
+import org.springframework.core.io.buffer.PooledDataBuffer;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpMethod;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
-import org.springframework.lang.Nullable;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
@@ -52,9 +53,6 @@ class JettyClientHttpRequest extends AbstractClientHttpRequest {
 
 	private final DataBufferFactory bufferFactory;
 
-	@Nullable
-	private ReactiveRequest reactiveRequest;
-
 
 	public JettyClientHttpRequest(Request jettyRequest, DataBufferFactory bufferFactory) {
 		this.jettyRequest = jettyRequest;
@@ -93,17 +91,20 @@ class JettyClientHttpRequest extends AbstractClientHttpRequest {
 	@Override
 	public Mono<Void> writeWith(Publisher<? extends DataBuffer> body) {
 		return Mono.<Void>create(sink -> {
-			Flux<ContentChunk> chunks = Flux.from(body).map(buffer -> toContentChunk(buffer, sink));
-			ReactiveRequest.Content content = ReactiveRequest.Content.fromPublisher(chunks, getContentType());
-			this.reactiveRequest = ReactiveRequest.newBuilder(this.jettyRequest).content(content).build();
+			ReactiveRequest.Content content = Flux.from(body)
+					.map(buffer -> toContentChunk(buffer, sink))
+					.as(chunks -> ReactiveRequest.Content.fromPublisher(chunks, getContentType()));
+			this.jettyRequest.content(new PublisherContentProvider(content));
 			sink.success();
 		})
-		.then(doCommit(this::completes));
+				.then(doCommit(this::completes));
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public Mono<Void> writeAndFlushWith(Publisher<? extends Publisher<? extends DataBuffer>> body) {
-		return writeWith(Flux.from(body).flatMap(Function.identity()));
+		return writeWith(Flux.from(body)
+				.flatMap(Function.identity())
+				.doOnDiscard(PooledDataBuffer.class, DataBufferUtils::release));
 	}
 
 	private String getContentType() {
@@ -147,11 +148,4 @@ class JettyClientHttpRequest extends AbstractClientHttpRequest {
 		}
 	}
 
-	ReactiveRequest getReactiveRequest() {
-		if (this.reactiveRequest == null) {
-			this.reactiveRequest = ReactiveRequest.newBuilder(this.jettyRequest).build();
-		}
-		return this.reactiveRequest;
-	}
-
 }