diff --git a/packages/router/src/create_url_tree.ts b/packages/router/src/create_url_tree.ts
index 7e5d0c09853..1f006609825 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/create_url_tree.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/create_url_tree.ts
@@ -339,8 +339,9 @@ function updateSegmentGroupChildren(
     const outlets = getOutlets(commands);
     const children: {[key: string]: UrlSegmentGroup} = {};
     // If the set of commands does not apply anything to the primary outlet and the child segment is
-    // an empty path primary segment on its own, we want to skip applying the commands at this
-    // level. Imagine the following config:
+    // an empty path primary segment on its own, we want to apply the commands to the empty child
+    // path rather than here. The outcome is that the empty primary child is effectively removed
+    // from the final output UrlTree. Imagine the following config:
     //
     // {path: '', children: [{path: '**', outlet: 'popup'}]}.
     //
@@ -361,8 +362,9 @@ function updateSegmentGroupChildren(
     if (!outlets[PRIMARY_OUTLET] && segmentGroup.children[PRIMARY_OUTLET] &&
         segmentGroup.numberOfChildren === 1 &&
         segmentGroup.children[PRIMARY_OUTLET].segments.length === 0) {
-      return updateSegmentGroupChildren(
-          segmentGroup.children[PRIMARY_OUTLET], startIndex, commands);
+      const childrenOfEmptyChild =
+          updateSegmentGroupChildren(segmentGroup.children[PRIMARY_OUTLET], startIndex, commands);
+      return new UrlSegmentGroup(segmentGroup.segments, childrenOfEmptyChild.children);
     }
 
     Object.entries(outlets).forEach(([outlet, commands]) => {
diff --git a/packages/router/test/create_url_tree.spec.ts b/packages/router/test/create_url_tree.spec.ts
index 311eb67b3f9..62295bda4e5 100644
--- a/packages/router/test/create_url_tree.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/router/test/create_url_tree.spec.ts
@@ -206,6 +206,32 @@ describe('createUrlTree', async () => {
       expect(serializer.serialize(t)).toEqual('/parent/child(rootSecondary:rootPopup)');
     });
 
+    it('works with named children of empty path primary, relative to non-empty parent',
+       async () => {
+         router.resetConfig([{
+           path: 'case',
+           component: class {},
+           children: [
+             {
+               path: '',
+               component: class {},
+               children: [
+                 {path: 'foo', outlet: 'foo', children: []},
+               ],
+             },
+           ]
+         }]);
+         await router.navigateByUrl('/case');
+         expect(router.url).toEqual('/case');
+         expect(router
+                    .createUrlTree(
+                        [{outlets: {'foo': ['foo']}}],
+                        // relative to the 'case' route
+                        {relativeTo: router.routerState.root.firstChild})
+                    .toString())
+             .toEqual('/case/(foo:foo)');
+       });
+
     describe('absolute navigations', () => {
       it('with and pathless root', async () => {
         router.resetConfig([