diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crNetworkManager.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crNetworkManager.ts
index d13871f789d9d..fbecd213552f2 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crNetworkManager.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crNetworkManager.ts
@@ -520,8 +520,9 @@ export class CRNetworkManager {
       request.request.setRawRequestHeaders(null);
     }
     this._deleteRequest(request);
-    // Chromium aborts 204 responses, other browsers finish them.
-    if (response?.status() === 204) {
+    // Chromium aborts 204 subresource responses, other browsers finish them.
+    // A 204 navigation never commits, so it must fail to abort the pending navigation.
+    if (response?.status() === 204 && !request.request.isNavigationRequest()) {
       (this._page?.frameManager || this._serviceWorker)!.reportRequestFinished(request.request, response);
       return;
     }
diff --git a/tests/page/page-click.spec.ts b/tests/page/page-click.spec.ts
index 34393b94b8b88..160d1868fd060 100644
--- a/tests/page/page-click.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/page/page-click.spec.ts
@@ -349,6 +349,19 @@ it('should click links which cause navigation', async ({ page, server }) => {
   await page.click('a');
 });
 
+it('should not wait for navigation after clicking a link answered with 204', {
+  annotation: { type: 'issue', description: 'https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/43279' },
+}, async ({ page, server }) => {
+  server.setRoute('/204', (req, res) => {
+    res.statusCode = 204;
+    res.end();
+  });
+  await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
+  await page.setContent(`<a href="${server.PREFIX}/204">link</a>`);
+  await page.click('a', { timeout: 5000 });
+  expect(page.url()).toBe(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
+});
+
 it('should click the button inside an iframe', async ({ page, server }) => {
   await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
   await page.setContent('<div style="width:100px;height:100px">spacer</div>');
diff --git a/tests/page/page-event-request.spec.ts b/tests/page/page-event-request.spec.ts
index a4f61a4e82130..a47fd560ef8f2 100644
--- a/tests/page/page-event-request.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/page/page-event-request.spec.ts
@@ -278,6 +278,23 @@ it('should finish 204 request', {
   expect(await reqPromise).toBe('requestfinished');
 });
 
+it('should fail 204 navigation request', {
+  annotation: { type: 'issue', description: 'https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/43279' },
+}, async ({ page, server }) => {
+  server.setRoute('/204', (req, res) => {
+    res.statusCode = 204;
+    res.end();
+  });
+  await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
+  const reqPromise = Promise.race([
+    page.waitForEvent('requestfailed', r => r.url().endsWith('/204')).then(() => 'requestfailed'),
+    page.waitForEvent('requestfinished', r => r.url().endsWith('/204')).then(() => 'requestfinished'),
+  ]);
+  await page.setContent(`<a href="${server.PREFIX}/204">link</a>`);
+  await page.click('a', { noWaitAfter: true });
+  expect(await reqPromise).toBe('requestfailed');
+});
+
 it('<picture> resource should have type image', async ({ page }) => {
   it.info().annotations.push({ type: 'issue', description: 'https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33148' });
   const [request] = await Promise.all([