diff --git a/p2p/protocol/internal/circuitv1-deprecated/relay.go b/p2p/protocol/internal/circuitv1-deprecated/relay.go
index 646df850cd..0afcf0467a 100644
--- a/p2p/protocol/internal/circuitv1-deprecated/relay.go
+++ b/p2p/protocol/internal/circuitv1-deprecated/relay.go
@@ -369,13 +369,18 @@ func (r *Relay) handleHopStream(s inet.Stream, msg *pb.CircuitRelay) {
 
 	r.addLiveHop(src.ID, dst.ID)
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	wg.Add(2)
+	goroutines := new(int32)
+	*goroutines = 2
+	done := func() {
+		if atomic.AddInt32(goroutines, -1) == 0 {
+			r.rmLiveHop(src.ID, dst.ID)
+		}
+	}
 
 	// Don't reset streams after finishing or the other side will get an
 	// error, not an EOF.
 	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
+		defer done()
 
 		buf := pool.Get(HopStreamBufferSize)
 		defer pool.Put(buf)
@@ -394,7 +399,7 @@ func (r *Relay) handleHopStream(s inet.Stream, msg *pb.CircuitRelay) {
 	}()
 
 	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
+		defer done()
 
 		buf := pool.Get(HopStreamBufferSize)
 		defer pool.Put(buf)
@@ -411,11 +416,6 @@ func (r *Relay) handleHopStream(s inet.Stream, msg *pb.CircuitRelay) {
 		}
 		log.Debugf("relayed %d bytes from %s to %s", count, src.ID.Pretty(), dst.ID.Pretty())
 	}()
-
-	go func() {
-		wg.Wait()
-		r.rmLiveHop(src.ID, dst.ID)
-	}()
 }
 
 func (r *Relay) handleStopStream(s inet.Stream, msg *pb.CircuitRelay) {