diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
index 4057c0febccd..1f5434f7a294 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
@@ -2542,7 +2542,7 @@ i915_gem_wait_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data, struct drm_file *file)
 			ret = __i915_wait_request(req[i], true,
 						  args->timeout_ns > 0 ? &args->timeout_ns : NULL,
 						  to_rps_client(file));
-		i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(req[i]);
+		i915_gem_request_unreference(req[i]);
 	}
 	return ret;
 
@@ -3548,7 +3548,7 @@ i915_gem_ring_throttle(struct drm_device *dev, struct drm_file *file)
 		return 0;
 
 	ret = __i915_wait_request(target, true, NULL, NULL);
-	i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(target);
+	i915_gem_request_unreference(target);
 
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.c
index 8d7c415f1896..c14dca3d8b87 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.c
@@ -250,6 +250,7 @@ i915_gem_request_remove_from_client(struct drm_i915_gem_request *request)
 static void i915_gem_request_retire(struct drm_i915_gem_request *request)
 {
 	trace_i915_gem_request_retire(request);
+	list_del_init(&request->list);
 
 	/* We know the GPU must have read the request to have
 	 * sent us the seqno + interrupt, so use the position
@@ -261,9 +262,15 @@ static void i915_gem_request_retire(struct drm_i915_gem_request *request)
 	 */
 	request->ringbuf->last_retired_head = request->postfix;
 
-	list_del_init(&request->list);
 	i915_gem_request_remove_from_client(request);
 
+	if (request->pinned_context) {
+		if (i915.enable_execlists)
+			intel_lr_context_unpin(request->pinned_context,
+					       request->engine);
+	}
+
+	i915_gem_context_unreference(request->ctx);
 	i915_gem_request_unreference(request);
 }
 
@@ -636,19 +643,7 @@ int i915_wait_request(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 
 void i915_gem_request_free(struct kref *req_ref)
 {
-	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req = container_of(req_ref,
-						 typeof(*req), ref);
-	struct intel_context *ctx = req->ctx;
-
-	if (req->file_priv)
-		i915_gem_request_remove_from_client(req);
-
-	if (req->pinned_context) {
-		if (i915.enable_execlists)
-			intel_lr_context_unpin(req->pinned_context,
-					       req->engine);
-	}
-
-	i915_gem_context_unreference(ctx);
+	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req =
+		container_of(req_ref, typeof(*req), ref);
 	kmem_cache_free(to_i915(req)->requests, req);
 }
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.h
index 389813cbc19a..48bff7dc4f90 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_request.h
@@ -170,23 +170,9 @@ i915_gem_request_reference(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 static inline void
 i915_gem_request_unreference(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 {
-	WARN_ON(!mutex_is_locked(&req->engine->dev->struct_mutex));
 	kref_put(&req->ref, i915_gem_request_free);
 }
 
-static inline void
-i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
-{
-	struct drm_device *dev;
-
-	if (!req)
-		return;
-
-	dev = req->engine->dev;
-	if (kref_put_mutex(&req->ref, i915_gem_request_free, &dev->struct_mutex))
-		mutex_unlock(&dev->struct_mutex);
-}
-
 static inline void i915_gem_request_assign(struct drm_i915_gem_request **pdst,
 					   struct drm_i915_gem_request *src)
 {
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_breadcrumbs.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_breadcrumbs.c
index 79f175853548..d7d19e17318e 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_breadcrumbs.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_breadcrumbs.c
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ static int intel_breadcrumbs_signaler(void *arg)
 			 */
 			intel_engine_remove_wait(engine, &signal->wait);
 
-			i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(signal->request);
+			i915_gem_request_unreference(signal->request);
 
 			/* Find the next oldest signal. Note that as we have
 			 * not been holding the lock, another client may
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
index caff656417c2..07dfd55fff91 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
@@ -11370,7 +11370,7 @@ static void intel_mmio_flip_work_func(struct work_struct *work)
 		WARN_ON(__i915_wait_request(mmio_flip->req,
 					    false, NULL,
 					    &mmio_flip->i915->rps.mmioflips));
-		i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(mmio_flip->req);
+		i915_gem_request_unreference(mmio_flip->req);
 	}
 
 	/* For framebuffer backed by dmabuf, wait for fence */
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
index 0e55f206e592..0eaa74fab87b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
@@ -587,7 +587,6 @@ static void execlists_context_queue(struct drm_i915_gem_request *request)
 	struct drm_i915_gem_request *cursor;
 	int num_elements = 0;
 
-	intel_lr_context_pin(request->ctx, request->engine);
 	i915_gem_request_reference(request);
 
 	spin_lock_bh(&engine->execlist_lock);
@@ -1006,9 +1005,6 @@ void intel_execlists_retire_requests(struct intel_engine_cs *engine)
 	spin_unlock_bh(&engine->execlist_lock);
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(req, tmp, &retired_list, execlist_link) {
-		if (req->pinned_context)
-			intel_lr_context_unpin(req->pinned_context, engine);
-
 		list_del(&req->execlist_link);
 		i915_gem_request_unreference(req);
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
index b964c448bc03..565b725cd817 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
@@ -7364,7 +7364,7 @@ static void __intel_rps_boost_work(struct work_struct *work)
 	if (!i915_gem_request_completed(req))
 		gen6_rps_boost(to_i915(req), NULL, req->emitted_jiffies);
 
-	i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(req);
+	i915_gem_request_unreference(req);
 	kfree(boost);
 }
 
