diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/browserContext.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/browserContext.ts
index 67390a7fdb..7fbb62ddd8 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/browserContext.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/browserContext.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { Events } from './events';
 import { TimeoutSettings } from '../common/timeoutSettings';
 import { Waiter } from './waiter';
 import type { URLMatch, Headers, WaitForEventOptions, BrowserContextOptions, StorageState, LaunchOptions } from './types';
-import { headersObjectToArray, isRegExp, isString } from '../utils';
+import { headersObjectToArray, isRegExp, isString, urlMatchesEqual } from '../utils';
 import { mkdirIfNeeded } from '../utils/fileUtils';
 import type * as api from '../../types/types';
 import type * as structs from '../../types/structs';
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ export class BrowserContext extends ChannelOwner<channels.BrowserContextChannel>
   }
 
   async unroute(url: URLMatch, handler?: network.RouteHandlerCallback): Promise<void> {
-    this._routes = this._routes.filter(route => route.url !== url || (handler && route.handler !== handler));
+    this._routes = this._routes.filter(route => !urlMatchesEqual(route.url, url) || (handler && route.handler !== handler));
     await this._updateInterceptionPatterns();
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/page.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/page.ts
index fdf6330579..20cb43cf42 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/page.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/page.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import { urlMatches } from '../utils/network';
 import { TimeoutSettings } from '../common/timeoutSettings';
 import type * as channels from '@protocol/channels';
 import { parseError, serializeError } from '../protocol/serializers';
-import { assert, headersObjectToArray, isObject, isRegExp, isString, ScopedRace } from '../utils';
+import { assert, headersObjectToArray, isObject, isRegExp, isString, ScopedRace, urlMatchesEqual } from '../utils';
 import { mkdirIfNeeded } from '../utils/fileUtils';
 import { Accessibility } from './accessibility';
 import { Artifact } from './artifact';
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ export class Page extends ChannelOwner<channels.PageChannel> implements api.Page
   }
 
   async unroute(url: URLMatch, handler?: RouteHandlerCallback): Promise<void> {
-    this._routes = this._routes.filter(route => route.url !== url || (handler && route.handler !== handler));
+    this._routes = this._routes.filter(route => !urlMatchesEqual(route.url, url) || (handler && route.handler !== handler));
     await this._updateInterceptionPatterns();
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/utils/network.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/utils/network.ts
index 08d8029b5e..cb411bf4a3 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/utils/network.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/utils/network.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,12 @@ export function fetchData(params: HTTPRequestParams, onError?: (params: HTTPRequ
   });
 }
 
+export function urlMatchesEqual(match1: URLMatch, match2: URLMatch) {
+  if (isRegExp(match1) && isRegExp(match2))
+    return match1.source === match2.source && match1.flags === match2.flags;
+  return match1 === match2;
+}
+
 export function urlMatches(baseURL: string | undefined, urlString: string, match: URLMatch | undefined): boolean {
   if (match === undefined || match === '')
     return true;
diff --git a/tests/library/browsercontext-route.spec.ts b/tests/library/browsercontext-route.spec.ts
index 8538957b58..176a40d411 100644
--- a/tests/library/browsercontext-route.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/library/browsercontext-route.spec.ts
@@ -61,12 +61,12 @@ it('should unroute', async ({ browser, server }) => {
     intercepted.push(4);
     route.fallback();
   };
-  await context.route('**/empty.html', handler4);
+  await context.route(/empty.html/, handler4);
   await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
   expect(intercepted).toEqual([4, 3, 2, 1]);
 
   intercepted = [];
-  await context.unroute('**/empty.html', handler4);
+  await context.unroute(/empty.html/, handler4);
   await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
   expect(intercepted).toEqual([3, 2, 1]);
 
diff --git a/tests/page/page-route.spec.ts b/tests/page/page-route.spec.ts
index f260cdeec5..3c348be70f 100644
--- a/tests/page/page-route.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/page/page-route.spec.ts
@@ -57,12 +57,12 @@ it('should unroute', async ({ page, server }) => {
     intercepted.push(4);
     route.fallback();
   };
-  await page.route('**/empty.html', handler4);
+  await page.route(/empty.html/, handler4);
   await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
   expect(intercepted).toEqual([4, 3, 2, 1]);
 
   intercepted = [];
-  await page.unroute('**/empty.html', handler4);
+  await page.unroute(/empty.html/, handler4);
   await page.goto(server.EMPTY_PAGE);
   expect(intercepted).toEqual([3, 2, 1]);