diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/MatchUtil.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/MatchUtil.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..69375a5727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/MatchUtil.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2020 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Leonardo de Moura
+-/
+import Lean.Util.Recognizers
+import Lean.Meta.Basic
+
+namespace Lean
+namespace Meta
+
+def matchEq? (e : Expr) : MetaM (Option (Expr × Expr × Expr)) := do
+match e.eq? with
+| r@(some _) => pure r
+| none       => do e ← whnf e; pure e.eq?
+
+end Meta
+end Lean
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Subst.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Subst.lean
index de015333dc..f95e872d2a 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Subst.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Subst.lean
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Authors: Leonardo de Moura
 -/
 import Lean.Meta.AppBuilder
+import Lean.Meta.MatchUtil
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Util
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Revert
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Intro
@@ -17,9 +18,10 @@ def substCore (mvarId : MVarId) (hFVarId : FVarId) (symm := false) (fvarSubst :
 withMVarContext mvarId $ do
   tag     ← getMVarTag mvarId;
   checkNotAssigned mvarId `subst;
-  hLocalDecl ← getLocalDecl hFVarId;
   let hFVarIdOriginal := hFVarId;
-  match hLocalDecl.type.eq? with
+  hLocalDecl ← getLocalDecl hFVarId;
+  eq? ← matchEq? hLocalDecl.type;
+  match eq? with
   | none => throwTacticEx `subst mvarId "argument must be an equality proof"
   | some (α, lhs, rhs) => do
     let a := if symm then rhs else lhs;
@@ -44,7 +46,8 @@ withMVarContext mvarId $ do
         mvarDecl   ← getMVarDecl mvarId;
         let type   := mvarDecl.type;
         hLocalDecl ← getLocalDecl hFVarId;
-        match hLocalDecl.type.eq? with
+        eq? ← matchEq? hLocalDecl.type;
+        match eq? with
         | none => unreachable!
         | some (α, lhs, rhs) => do
           let b       := if symm then lhs else rhs;
@@ -109,7 +112,8 @@ withMVarContext mvarId $ do
 def subst (mvarId : MVarId) (hFVarId : FVarId) : MetaM MVarId :=
 withMVarContext mvarId $ do
   hLocalDecl ← getLocalDecl hFVarId;
-  match hLocalDecl.type.eq? with
+  eq? ← matchEq? hLocalDecl.type;
+  match eq? with
   | some (α, lhs, rhs) => do
     rhs ← whnf rhs;
     if rhs.isFVar then
@@ -126,7 +130,9 @@ withMVarContext mvarId $ do
     mctx ← getMCtx;
     lctx ← getLCtx;
     some (fvarId, symm) ← lctx.findDeclM?
-      (fun localDecl => match localDecl.type.eq? with
+      (fun localDecl => do
+       eq? ← matchEq? localDecl.type;
+       match eq? with
        | some (α, lhs, rhs) =>
          if rhs.isFVar && rhs.fvarId! == hFVarId && !mctx.exprDependsOn lhs hFVarId then
            pure $ some (localDecl.fvarId, true)
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean b/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
index f50d257c2e..b6ddbd1786 100644
--- a/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
+++ b/tests/lean/run/new_frontend2.lean
@@ -17,3 +17,11 @@ variable [r : Monad m]
 ```
 because `Monad.to* methods have bad binder annotations
 -/
+
+theorem aux (a b c : Nat) (h₁ : a = b) (h₂ : c = b) : a = c :=
+by {
+  let! aux := h₂.symm;
+  subst aux;
+  subst h₁;
+  exact rfl
+}