diff --git a/lib/http-proxy/passes/web-outgoing.js b/lib/http-proxy/passes/web-outgoing.js
index d8c17a282..b49fbc86b 100644
--- a/lib/http-proxy/passes/web-outgoing.js
+++ b/lib/http-proxy/passes/web-outgoing.js
@@ -108,7 +108,10 @@ var redirectRegex = /^201|30(1|2|7|8)$/;
    * @api private
    */
   function writeStatusCode(req, res, proxyRes) {
-    res.writeHead(proxyRes.statusCode);
+    res.statusCode = proxyRes.statusCode;
+    if(proxyRes.statusMessage) {
+      res.statusMessage = proxyRes.statusMessage;
+    }
   }
 
 ] // <--