diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/page-tracker.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/page-tracker.js
index 76a937f195a..3cb60f36ff5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/page-tracker.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/page-tracker.js
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ export function startPageTracking(router, appEvents, documentTitle) {
     return;
   }
   router.on("routeDidChange", (transition) => {
+    if (transition.isAborted) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     // we occasionally prevent tracking of replaced pages when only query params changed
     // eg: google analytics
     const replacedOnlyQueryParams =
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/url.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/url.js
index 94a015236ec..1b2fd5b7bf4 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/url.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/url.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { setOwner } from "@ember/application";
 import { isTesting } from "discourse-common/config/environment";
 
 const rewrites = [];
-export const TOPIC_URL_REGEXP = /\/t\/([^\/]+)\/(\d+)\/?(\d+)?/;
+export const TOPIC_URL_REGEXP = /\/t\/([^\/]*[^\d\/][^\/]*)\/(\d+)\/?(\d+)?/;
 
 // We can add links here that have server side responses but not client side.
 const SERVER_SIDE_ONLY = [
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic-by-slug-or-id.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic-by-slug-or-id.js
index f2805aedd1a..459fce0904a 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic-by-slug-or-id.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic-by-slug-or-id.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import Topic, { ID_CONSTRAINT } from "discourse/models/topic";
 import DiscourseRoute from "discourse/routes/discourse";
-import DiscourseURL from "discourse/lib/url";
+import { inject as service } from "@ember/service";
 
 export default DiscourseRoute.extend({
+  router: service(),
+
   model(params) {
     if (params.slugOrId.match(ID_CONSTRAINT)) {
       return { url: `/t/topic/${params.slugOrId}` };
@@ -12,17 +14,6 @@ export default DiscourseRoute.extend({
   },
 
   afterModel(result) {
-    // Using { replaceURL: true } to replace the current incomplete URL with
-    // the complete one is working incorrectly.
-    //
-    // Let's consider an example where the user is at /t/-/1. If they click on
-    // a link to /t/2 the expected behavior is to take the user to /t/2 that
-    // will redirect to /t/-/2 and generate a history with two entries: /t/-/1
-    // followed by /t/-/2.
-    //
-    // When { replaceURL: true } is present, the history contains a single
-    // entry /t/-/2. This suggests that `afterModel` is called in the context
-    // of the referrer replacing its entry with the new one.
-    DiscourseURL.routeTo(result.url);
+    this.router.transitionTo(result.url);
   },
 });
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic.js
index d0bfaa7d840..0fb34de9fd5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/routes/topic.js
@@ -247,10 +247,11 @@ const TopicRoute = DiscourseRoute.extend({
   },
 
   @action
-  willTransition() {
+  willTransition(transition) {
     this._super(...arguments);
     cancel(this.scheduledReplace);
     this.set("isTransitioning", true);
+    transition.catch(() => this.set("isTransitioning", false));
     return true;
   },
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/topic-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/topic-test.js
index cbe8c5c7393..0bdfa70f49f 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/topic-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/topic-test.js
@@ -8,11 +8,19 @@ import {
   selectText,
   visible,
 } from "discourse/tests/helpers/qunit-helpers";
-import { click, fillIn, triggerKeyEvent, visit } from "@ember/test-helpers";
+import {
+  click,
+  currentURL,
+  fillIn,
+  triggerKeyEvent,
+  visit,
+} from "@ember/test-helpers";
 import I18n from "I18n";
 import selectKit from "discourse/tests/helpers/select-kit-helper";
 import { test } from "qunit";
 import { withPluginApi } from "discourse/lib/plugin-api";
+import topicFixtures from "discourse/tests/fixtures/topic";
+import { cloneJSON } from "discourse-common/lib/object";
 
 acceptance("Topic", function (needs) {
   needs.user();
@@ -571,3 +579,42 @@ acceptance("Topic filter replies to post number", function (needs) {
     );
   });
 });
+
+acceptance("Navigating between topics", function (needs) {
+  needs.pretender((server, helper) => {
+    const topicResponse = cloneJSON(topicFixtures["/t/280/1.json"]);
+    const firstPost = topicResponse.post_stream.posts[0];
+    firstPost.cooked += `\n<a class='same-topic-slugless' href='/t/280'>Link 1</a>`;
+    firstPost.cooked += `\n<a class='same-topic-slugless-post' href='/t/280/3'>Link 2</a>`;
+    firstPost.cooked += `\n<a class='diff-topic-slugless' href='/t/281'>Link 3</a>`;
+    firstPost.cooked += `\n<a class='diff-topic-slugless-post' href='/t/281/3'>Link 3</a>`;
+
+    server.get("/t/280.json", () => helper.response(topicResponse));
+    server.get("/t/280/:post_number.json", () =>
+      helper.response(topicResponse)
+    );
+
+    server.get("/t/281.json", () => helper.response(topicResponse));
+    server.get("/t/281/:post_number.json", () =>
+      helper.response(topicResponse)
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("clicking slug-less URLs within the same topic", async function (assert) {
+    await visit("/t/-/280");
+    await click("a.same-topic-slugless");
+    assert.ok(currentURL().includes("/280"));
+
+    await click("a.same-topic-slugless-post");
+    assert.ok(currentURL().includes("/280"));
+  });
+
+  test("clicking slug-less URLs to a different topic", async function (assert) {
+    await visit("/t/-/280");
+    await click("a.diff-topic-slugless");
+    assert.ok(currentURL().includes("/281"));
+
+    await click("a.diff-topic-slugless-post");
+    assert.ok(currentURL().includes("/281"));
+  });
+});