diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
index 9017f14e6c..f40c6ddc01 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
@@ -1198,6 +1198,19 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Called once a message hit the end of the {@link ChannelPipeline} without been handled by the user
+     * in {@link ChannelInboundHandler#channelRead(ChannelHandlerContext, Object)}. This method is responsible
+     * to call {@link ReferenceCountUtil#release(Object)} on the given msg at some point.
+     */
+    protected void onUnhandledInboundMessage(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) {
+        onUnhandledInboundMessage(msg);
+        if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
+            logger.debug("Discarded message pipeline : {}. Channel : {}.",
+                         ctx.pipeline().names(), ctx.channel());
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Called once the {@link ChannelInboundHandler#channelReadComplete(ChannelHandlerContext)} event hit
      * the end of the {@link ChannelPipeline}.
@@ -1291,7 +1304,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
 
         @Override
         public void channelRead(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) {
-            onUnhandledInboundMessage(msg);
+            onUnhandledInboundMessage(ctx, msg);
         }
 
         @Override