diff --git a/fs/kernfs/dir.c b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
index d33af95321fb..42c5b9f23b41 100644
--- a/fs/kernfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
@@ -264,12 +264,6 @@ void kernfs_put(struct kernfs_node *kn)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(kernfs_put);
 
-static int kernfs_dop_delete(const struct dentry *dentry)
-{
-	struct kernfs_node *kn = dentry->d_fsdata;
-	return !(kn && !(kn->flags & KERNFS_REMOVED));
-}
-
 static int kernfs_dop_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int flags)
 {
 	struct kernfs_node *kn;
@@ -277,6 +271,10 @@ static int kernfs_dop_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int flags)
 	if (flags & LOOKUP_RCU)
 		return -ECHILD;
 
+	/* Always perform fresh lookup for negatives */
+	if (!dentry->d_inode)
+		goto out_bad_unlocked;
+
 	kn = dentry->d_fsdata;
 	mutex_lock(&kernfs_mutex);
 
@@ -301,22 +299,14 @@ static int kernfs_dop_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int flags)
 out_valid:
 	return 1;
 out_bad:
-	/*
-	 * Remove the dentry from the dcache hashes.
-	 * If this is a deleted dentry we use d_drop instead of d_delete
-	 * so kernfs doesn't need to cope with negative dentries.
-	 *
-	 * If this is a dentry that has simply been renamed we
-	 * use d_drop to remove it from the dcache lookup on its
-	 * old parent.  If this dentry persists later when a lookup
-	 * is performed at its new name the dentry will be readded
-	 * to the dcache hashes.
-	 */
 	mutex_unlock(&kernfs_mutex);
-
-	/* If we have submounts we must allow the vfs caches
-	 * to lie about the state of the filesystem to prevent
-	 * leaks and other nasty things.
+out_bad_unlocked:
+	/*
+	 * @dentry doesn't match the underlying kernfs node, drop the
+	 * dentry and force lookup.  If we have submounts we must allow the
+	 * vfs caches to lie about the state of the filesystem to prevent
+	 * leaks and other nasty things, so use check_submounts_and_drop()
+	 * instead of d_drop().
 	 */
 	if (check_submounts_and_drop(dentry) != 0)
 		goto out_valid;
@@ -331,7 +321,6 @@ static void kernfs_dop_release(struct dentry *dentry)
 
 const struct dentry_operations kernfs_dops = {
 	.d_revalidate	= kernfs_dop_revalidate,
-	.d_delete	= kernfs_dop_delete,
 	.d_release	= kernfs_dop_release,
 };
 
@@ -682,7 +671,7 @@ static struct dentry *kernfs_iop_lookup(struct inode *dir,
 					struct dentry *dentry,
 					unsigned int flags)
 {
-	struct dentry *ret = NULL;
+	struct dentry *ret;
 	struct kernfs_node *parent = dentry->d_parent->d_fsdata;
 	struct kernfs_node *kn;
 	struct inode *inode;
@@ -697,7 +686,7 @@ static struct dentry *kernfs_iop_lookup(struct inode *dir,
 
 	/* no such entry */
 	if (!kn) {
-		ret = ERR_PTR(-ENOENT);
+		ret = NULL;
 		goto out_unlock;
 	}
 	kernfs_get(kn);