diff --git a/fs/fs-writeback.c b/fs/fs-writeback.c
index 5c46ed9f3e14..7b9582ed26f2 100644
--- a/fs/fs-writeback.c
+++ b/fs/fs-writeback.c
@@ -281,13 +281,15 @@ locked_inode_to_wb_and_lock_list(struct inode *inode)
 		wb_get(wb);
 		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
 		spin_lock(&wb->list_lock);
-		wb_put(wb);		/* not gonna deref it anymore */
 
 		/* i_wb may have changed inbetween, can't use inode_to_wb() */
-		if (likely(wb == inode->i_wb))
-			return wb;	/* @inode already has ref */
+		if (likely(wb == inode->i_wb)) {
+			wb_put(wb);	/* @inode already has ref */
+			return wb;
+		}
 
 		spin_unlock(&wb->list_lock);
+		wb_put(wb);
 		cpu_relax();
 		spin_lock(&inode->i_lock);
 	}