diff --git a/include/maxscale/session.h b/include/maxscale/session.h
index a85b9292a..92d38002a 100644
--- a/include/maxscale/session.h
+++ b/include/maxscale/session.h
@@ -324,6 +324,17 @@ static inline bool session_set_autocommit(MXS_SESSION* ses, bool autocommit)
  */
 MXS_SESSION* session_get_by_id(int id);
 
+/**
+ * @brief Close a session
+ *
+ * Calling this function will start the session shutdown process. The shutdown
+ * closes all related backend DCBs by calling the closeSession entry point
+ * of the router session.
+ *
+ * @param session The session to close
+ */
+void session_close(MXS_SESSION *session);
+
 /**
  * @brief Release a session reference
  *
diff --git a/server/core/session.c b/server/core/session.c
index fff7f9832..d286f2507 100644
--- a/server/core/session.c
+++ b/server/core/session.c
@@ -303,6 +303,23 @@ session_simple_free(MXS_SESSION *session, DCB *dcb)
     session_final_free(session);
 }
 
+void session_close(MXS_SESSION *session)
+{
+    if (!session->ses_is_child && session->router_session)
+    {
+        if (session->state != SESSION_STATE_STOPPING)
+        {
+            session->state = SESSION_STATE_STOPPING;
+        }
+
+        MXS_ROUTER_OBJECT* router = session->service->router;
+        void* router_instance = session->service->router_instance;
+
+        /** Close router session and all its connections */
+        router->closeSession(router_instance, session->router_session);
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * Deallocate the specified session
  *
diff --git a/server/modules/filter/tee/tee.c b/server/modules/filter/tee/tee.c
index 768c6b88a..da8a961da 100644
--- a/server/modules/filter/tee/tee.c
+++ b/server/modules/filter/tee/tee.c
@@ -536,22 +536,9 @@ closeSession(MXS_FILTER *instance, MXS_FILTER_SESSION *session)
         if ((bsession = my_session->branch_session) != NULL)
         {
             CHK_SESSION(bsession);
-
-            if (bsession->state != SESSION_STATE_STOPPING)
-            {
-                bsession->state = SESSION_STATE_STOPPING;
-            }
-            router = bsession->service->router;
-            router_instance = bsession->service->router_instance;
-            rsession = bsession->router_session;
-
-            /** Close router session and all its connections */
-            router->closeSession(router_instance, rsession);
+            bsession->ses_is_child = false;
+            session_close(bsession);
         }
-        /* No need to free the session, this is done as
-         * a side effect of closing the client DCB of the
-         * session.
-         */
 
         if (my_session->waiting[PARENT])
         {
diff --git a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLBackend/mysql_backend.c b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLBackend/mysql_backend.c
index bed3034f8..56ccb4a75 100644
--- a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLBackend/mysql_backend.c
+++ b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLBackend/mysql_backend.c
@@ -1112,46 +1112,31 @@ static int gw_backend_hangup(DCB *dcb)
  */
 static int gw_backend_close(DCB *dcb)
 {
-    MXS_SESSION* session;
-    GWBUF* quitbuf;
-
     CHK_DCB(dcb);
-    session = dcb->session;
-
-    MXS_DEBUG("%lu [gw_backend_close]", pthread_self());
-
-    quitbuf = mysql_create_com_quit(NULL, 0);
-    gwbuf_set_type(quitbuf, GWBUF_TYPE_MYSQL);
+    ss_dassert(dcb->session);
 
     /** Send COM_QUIT to the backend being closed */
+    GWBUF* quitbuf = mysql_create_com_quit(NULL, 0);
+    gwbuf_set_type(quitbuf, GWBUF_TYPE_MYSQL);
     mysql_send_com_quit(dcb, 0, quitbuf);
 
+    /** Free protocol data */
     mysql_protocol_done(dcb);
 
-    if (session)
-    {
-        CHK_SESSION(session);
-        /**
-         * The lock is needed only to protect the read of session->state and
-         * session->client_dcb values. Client's state may change by other thread
-         * but client's close and adding client's DCB to zombies list is executed
-         * only if client's DCB's state does _not_ change in parallel.
-         */
+    MXS_SESSION* session = dcb->session;
+    CHK_SESSION(session);
 
-        /**
-         * If session->state is STOPPING, start closing client session.
-         * Otherwise only this backend connection is closed.
-         */
-        if (session->state == SESSION_STATE_STOPPING &&
-            session->client_dcb != NULL)
-        {
-            if (session->client_dcb->state == DCB_STATE_POLLING)
-            {
-                /** Close client DCB */
-                dcb_close(session->client_dcb);
-            }
-        }
+    /**
+     * If session state is SESSION_STATE_STOPPING, start closing client session.
+     * Otherwise only this backend connection is closed.
+     */
+    if (session->client_dcb &&
+        session->state == SESSION_STATE_STOPPING &&
+        session->client_dcb->state == DCB_STATE_POLLING)
+    {
+        dcb_close(session->client_dcb);
     }
+
     return 1;
 }
 
diff --git a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLClient/mysql_client.c b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLClient/mysql_client.c
index a9aaff2ab..2f3888c27 100644
--- a/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLClient/mysql_client.c
+++ b/server/modules/protocol/MySQL/MySQLClient/mysql_client.c
@@ -1347,52 +1347,12 @@ retblock:
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int
-gw_client_close(DCB *dcb)
+static int gw_client_close(DCB *dcb)
 {
-    MXS_SESSION* session;
-    MXS_ROUTER_OBJECT* router;
-    void* router_instance;
-#if defined(SS_DEBUG)
-    MySQLProtocol* protocol = (MySQLProtocol *)dcb->protocol;
-
-    if (dcb->state == DCB_STATE_POLLING ||
-        dcb->state == DCB_STATE_NOPOLLING ||
-        dcb->state == DCB_STATE_ZOMBIE)
-    {
-        if (!DCB_IS_CLONE(dcb))
-        {
-            CHK_PROTOCOL(protocol);
-        }
-    }
-#endif
-    MXS_DEBUG("%lu [gw_client_close]", pthread_self());
+    CHK_DCB(dcb);
+    ss_dassert(dcb->protocol);
     mysql_protocol_done(dcb);
-    session = dcb->session;
-    /**
-     * session may be NULL if session_alloc failed.
-     * In that case, router session wasn't created.
-     */
-    if (session != NULL && SESSION_STATE_DUMMY != session->state)
-    {
-        CHK_SESSION(session);
-
-        if (session->state != SESSION_STATE_STOPPING)
-        {
-            session->state = SESSION_STATE_STOPPING;
-        }
-        router_instance = session->service->router_instance;
-        router = session->service->router;
-        /**
-         * If router session is being created concurrently router
-         * session might be NULL and it shouldn't be closed.
-         */
-        if (session->router_session != NULL)
-        {
-            /** Close router session and all its connections */
-            router->closeSession(router_instance, session->router_session);
-        }
-    }
+    session_close(dcb->session);
     return 1;
 }