diff --git a/src/Client.php b/src/Client.php
index f3db692..62e3849 100644
--- a/src/Client.php
+++ b/src/Client.php
@@ -203,6 +203,13 @@ public function process($address): void
         }
         $request->setOptions($options)->attachConnection($connection);
 
+        // Hand the in-flight Request to the caller (e.g. to close its connection for cancellation).
+        // Fires again with the new Request when a redirect is followed, so the caller always
+        // holds the live one. No behavior change unless the 'request' option is set.
+        if (isset($options['request'])) {
+            call_user_func($options['request'], $request);
+        }
+
         $client = $this;
         $request->once('success', function($response) use ($task, $client, $request) {
             $client->recycleConnectionFromRequest($request, $response);
@@ -279,8 +286,16 @@ public function recycleConnectionFromRequest(Request $request, ?Response $respon
         $connection->onConnect = $connection->onClose = $connection->onMessage = $connection->onError = null;
         $request_header_connection = strtolower($request->getHeaderLine('Connection'));
         $response_header_connection = $response ? strtolower($response->getHeaderLine('Connection')) : '';
-        // Close Connection without header Connection: keep-alive
-        if ('keep-alive' !== $request_header_connection || 'keep-alive' !== $response_header_connection || $request->getProtocolVersion() !== '1.1') {
+        // RFC 7230 §6.3: HTTP/1.1 connections are persistent by default — servers usually OMIT
+        // the Connection header. Close only when either side explicitly says "close", the
+        // protocol is not 1.1, or there is no response (transport-level failure).
+        // (Previously required both sides to literally send "Connection: keep-alive", which
+        // almost never happens with real-world servers, so the pool never reused connections.)
+        $shouldClose = !$response
+            || $request->getProtocolVersion() !== '1.1'
+            || str_contains($request_header_connection, 'close')
+            || str_contains($response_header_connection, 'close');
+        if ($shouldClose) {
             $connection->close();
         }
         $request->detachConnection($connection);