diff --git a/src/ng/compile.js b/src/ng/compile.js
index b333b079aa82..882df65824c5 100644
--- a/src/ng/compile.js
+++ b/src/ng/compile.js
@@ -989,6 +989,8 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
     function($injector,   $interpolate,   $exceptionHandler,   $templateRequest,   $parse,
              $controller,   $rootScope,   $document,   $sce,   $animate,   $$sanitizeUri) {
 
+    var SIMPLE_ATTR_NAME = /^\w/;
+    var specialAttrHolder = document.createElement('div');
     var Attributes = function(element, attributesToCopy) {
       if (attributesToCopy) {
         var keys = Object.keys(attributesToCopy);
@@ -1168,7 +1170,11 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
           if (value === null || isUndefined(value)) {
             this.$$element.removeAttr(attrName);
           } else {
-            this.$$element.attr(attrName, value);
+            if (SIMPLE_ATTR_NAME.test(attrName)) {
+              this.$$element.attr(attrName, value);
+            } else {
+              setSpecialAttr(this.$$element[0], attrName, value);
+            }
           }
         }
 
@@ -1221,6 +1227,18 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
       }
     };
 
+    function setSpecialAttr(element, attrName, value) {
+      // Attributes names that do not start with letters (such as `(click)`) cannot be set using `setAttribute`
+      // so we have to jump through some hoops to get such an attribute
+      // https://github.com/angular/angular.js/pull/13318
+      specialAttrHolder.innerHTML = "<span " + attrName + ">";
+      var attributes = specialAttrHolder.firstChild.attributes;
+      var attribute = attributes[0];
+      // We have to remove the attribute from its container element before we can add it to the destination element
+      attributes.removeNamedItem(attribute.name);
+      attribute.value = value;
+      element.attributes.setNamedItem(attribute);
+    }
 
     function safeAddClass($element, className) {
       try {
diff --git a/test/ng/compileSpec.js b/test/ng/compileSpec.js
index ee09676bc4dd..069bdec48639 100755
--- a/test/ng/compileSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/compileSpec.js
@@ -868,6 +868,17 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
           expect(div.attr('id')).toEqual('myid');
         }));
 
+
+        it('should correctly merge attributes that contain special characters', inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
+          element = $compile(
+            '<div><div replace (click)="doSomething()" [value]="someExpression" ω="omega"></div><div>')($rootScope);
+          var div = element.find('div');
+          expect(div.attr('(click)')).toEqual('doSomething()');
+          expect(div.attr('[value]')).toEqual('someExpression');
+          expect(div.attr('ω')).toEqual('omega');
+        }));
+
+
         it('should prevent multiple templates per element', inject(function($compile) {
           try {
             $compile('<div><span replace class="replace"></span></div>');