diff --git a/src/shared/udev-util.c b/src/shared/udev-util.c
index f91ee3e1bd..1eb5d8fb53 100644
--- a/src/shared/udev-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/udev-util.c
@@ -568,6 +568,19 @@ int udev_resolve_subsys_kernel(const char *string, char *result, size_t maxsize,
         return 0;
 }
 
+bool devpath_conflict(const char *a, const char *b) {
+        /* This returns true when two paths are equivalent, or one is a child of another. */
+
+        if (!a || !b)
+                return false;
+
+        for (; *a != '\0' && *b != '\0'; a++, b++)
+                if (*a != *b)
+                        return false;
+
+        return *a == '/' || *b == '/' || *a == *b;
+}
+
 int udev_queue_is_empty(void) {
         return access("/run/udev/queue", F_OK) < 0 ?
                 (errno == ENOENT ? true : -errno) : false;
diff --git a/src/shared/udev-util.h b/src/shared/udev-util.h
index ce016e88db..43a1b846f4 100644
--- a/src/shared/udev-util.h
+++ b/src/shared/udev-util.h
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ size_t udev_replace_ifname(char *str);
 size_t udev_replace_chars(char *str, const char *allow);
 int udev_resolve_subsys_kernel(const char *string, char *result, size_t maxsize, bool read_value);
 
+bool devpath_conflict(const char *a, const char *b);
+
 int udev_queue_is_empty(void);
 int udev_queue_init(void);
 
diff --git a/src/test/test-udev-util.c b/src/test/test-udev-util.c
index d413997189..02be7a0b3c 100644
--- a/src/test/test-udev-util.c
+++ b/src/test/test-udev-util.c
@@ -155,4 +155,17 @@ TEST(udev_resolve_subsys_kernel) {
         test_udev_resolve_subsys_kernel_one("[net/lo]/address", true, 0, "00:00:00:00:00:00");
 }
 
+TEST(devpath_conflict) {
+        assert_se(!devpath_conflict(NULL, NULL));
+        assert_se(!devpath_conflict(NULL, "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4"));
+        assert_se(!devpath_conflict("/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4", NULL));
+        assert_se(!devpath_conflict("/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4", "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:00.0"));
+        assert_se(!devpath_conflict("/devices/virtual/net/veth99", "/devices/virtual/net/veth999"));
+
+        assert_se(devpath_conflict("/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4", "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4"));
+        assert_se(devpath_conflict("/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4", "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4/0000:3c:00.0"));
+        assert_se(devpath_conflict("/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4/0000:3c:00.0/nvme/nvme0/nvme0n1",
+                                   "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.4/0000:3c:00.0/nvme/nvme0/nvme0n1/nvme0n1p1"));
+}
+
 DEFINE_TEST_MAIN(LOG_INFO);
diff --git a/src/udev/udevd.c b/src/udev/udevd.c
index 859b169f1b..b2291c85ca 100644
--- a/src/udev/udevd.c
+++ b/src/udev/udevd.c
@@ -856,7 +856,6 @@ static int event_run(Event *event) {
 
 static int event_is_blocked(Event *event) {
         Event *loop_event = NULL;
-        size_t devpath_len;
         int r;
 
         /* lookup event for identical, parent, child device */
@@ -903,12 +902,8 @@ static int event_is_blocked(Event *event) {
         assert(loop_event->seqnum > event->blocker_seqnum &&
                loop_event->seqnum < event->seqnum);
 
-        devpath_len = strlen(event->devpath);
-
         /* check if queue contains events we depend on */
         LIST_FOREACH(event, e, loop_event) {
-                size_t loop_devpath_len, common;
-
                 loop_event = e;
 
                 /* found ourself, no later event can block us */
@@ -918,29 +913,9 @@ static int event_is_blocked(Event *event) {
                 if (streq_ptr(loop_event->id, event->id))
                         break;
 
-                /* check our old name */
-                if (event->devpath_old && streq(event->devpath_old, loop_event->devpath))
-                        break;
-
-                loop_devpath_len = strlen(loop_event->devpath);
-
-                /* compare devpath */
-                common = MIN(devpath_len, loop_devpath_len);
-
-                /* one devpath is contained in the other? */
-                if (!strneq(event->devpath, loop_event->devpath, common))
-                        continue;
-
-                /* identical device event found */
-                if (devpath_len == loop_devpath_len)
-                        break;
-
-                /* parent device event found */
-                if (event->devpath[common] == '/')
-                        break;
-
-                /* child device event found */
-                if (loop_event->devpath[common] == '/')
+                if (devpath_conflict(event->devpath, loop_event->devpath) ||
+                    devpath_conflict(event->devpath, loop_event->devpath_old) ||
+                    devpath_conflict(event->devpath_old, loop_event->devpath))
                         break;
         }