diff --git a/src/librustc/middle/check_match.rs b/src/librustc/middle/check_match.rs
index 40bba6fb0ac..6c140d73be0 100644
--- a/src/librustc/middle/check_match.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/middle/check_match.rs
@@ -646,6 +646,7 @@ fn is_useful(cx: &MatchCheckCtxt,
     if rows[0].len() == 0 {
         return NotUseful;
     }
+    assert!(rows.iter().all(|r| r.len() == v.len()));
     let real_pat = match rows.iter().find(|r| (*r)[0].id != DUMMY_NODE_ID) {
         Some(r) => raw_pat(r[0]),
         None if v.len() == 0 => return NotUseful,
@@ -654,7 +655,12 @@ fn is_useful(cx: &MatchCheckCtxt,
     let left_ty = if real_pat.id == DUMMY_NODE_ID {
         ty::mk_nil(cx.tcx)
     } else {
-        ty::pat_ty(cx.tcx, &*real_pat)
+        let left_ty = ty::pat_ty(cx.tcx, &*real_pat);
+
+        match real_pat.node {
+            ast::PatIdent(ast::BindByRef(..), _, _) => ty::deref(left_ty, false).unwrap().ty,
+            _ => left_ty,
+        }
     };
 
     let max_slice_length = rows.iter().filter_map(|row| match row[0].node {
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/match-ref-ice.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/match-ref-ice.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d0f7c7ca986
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/match-ref-ice.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// The arity of `ref x` is always 1. If the pattern is compared to some non-structural type whose
+// arity is always 0, an ICE occurs.
+//
+// Related issue: #23009
+
+fn main() {
+    let homura = [1, 2, 3];
+
+    match homura {
+        [1, ref madoka, 3] => (),
+        [1, 2, 3] => (), //~ ERROR unreachable pattern
+        [_, _, _] => (),
+    }
+}