diff --git a/core/vm/instructions.go b/core/vm/instructions.go
index 0e2fd52b14..427eb3bab5 100644
--- a/core/vm/instructions.go
+++ b/core/vm/instructions.go
@@ -984,13 +984,13 @@ func makePush(size uint64, pushByteSize int) executionFunc {
 			start   = min(codeLen, int(*pc+1))
 			end     = min(codeLen, start+pushByteSize)
 		)
-		scope.Stack.push(new(uint256.Int).SetBytes(
-			common.RightPadBytes(
-				scope.Contract.Code[start:end],
-				pushByteSize,
-			)),
-		)
+		a := new(uint256.Int).SetBytes(scope.Contract.Code[start:end])
 
+		// Missing bytes: pushByteSize - len(pushData)
+		if missing := pushByteSize - (end - start); missing > 0 {
+			a.Lsh(a, uint(8*missing))
+		}
+		scope.Stack.push(a)
 		*pc += size
 		return nil, nil
 	}
diff --git a/core/vm/instructions_test.go b/core/vm/instructions_test.go
index a3f9ee81d1..b8e62e1de5 100644
--- a/core/vm/instructions_test.go
+++ b/core/vm/instructions_test.go
@@ -927,3 +927,75 @@ func TestOpMCopy(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestPush sanity-checks how code with immediates are handled when the code size is
+// smaller than the size of the immediate.
+func TestPush(t *testing.T) {
+	code := common.FromHex("0011223344556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121")
+
+	push32 := makePush(32, 32)
+
+	scope := &ScopeContext{
+		Memory: nil,
+		Stack:  newstack(),
+		Contract: &Contract{
+			Code: code,
+		},
+	}
+	for i, want := range []string{
+		"0x11223344556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1",
+		"0x223344556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1",
+		"0x3344556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1",
+		"0x44556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1",
+		"0x556677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1",
+		"0x6677889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1",
+		"0x77889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191",
+		"0x889900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181",
+		"0x9900aabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171",
+		"0xaabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161",
+		"0xaabbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151",
+		"0xbbccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141",
+		"0xccddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131",
+		"0xddeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121",
+		"0xeeff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100",
+		"0xff0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000",
+		"0x102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000",
+		"0x2030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000",
+		"0x30405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000",
+		"0x405060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000000000",
+		"0x5060708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000000000",
+		"0x60708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000000000",
+		"0x708090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000000000000000",
+		"0x8090a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000000000000000",
+		"0x90a0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000000000000000",
+		"0xa0b0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xb0c0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xc0d0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xd0e0ff1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xe0ff1e1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xff1e1d1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xf1e1d1c1b1a19181716151413121000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xe1d1c1b1a1918171615141312100000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xd1c1b1a191817161514131210000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xc1b1a19181716151413121000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xb1a1918171615141312100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0xa191817161514131210000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x9181716151413121000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x8171615141312100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x7161514131210000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x6151413121000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x5141312100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x4131210000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x3121000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x2100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+		"0x0",
+	} {
+		pc := new(uint64)
+		*pc = uint64(i)
+		push32(pc, nil, scope)
+		res := scope.Stack.pop()
+		if have := res.Hex(); have != want {
+			t.Fatalf("case %d, have %v want %v", i, have, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/core/vm/interpreter.go b/core/vm/interpreter.go
index 793f398367..c408994401 100644
--- a/core/vm/interpreter.go
+++ b/core/vm/interpreter.go
@@ -249,8 +249,11 @@ func (in *EVMInterpreter) Run(contract *Contract, input []byte, readOnly bool) (
 		} else if sLen > operation.maxStack {
 			return nil, &ErrStackOverflow{stackLen: sLen, limit: operation.maxStack}
 		}
-		if !contract.UseGas(cost, in.evm.Config.Tracer, tracing.GasChangeIgnored) {
+		// for tracing: this gas consumption event is emitted below in the debug section.
+		if contract.Gas < cost {
 			return nil, ErrOutOfGas
+		} else {
+			contract.Gas -= cost
 		}
 
 		if operation.dynamicGas != nil {
@@ -279,8 +282,11 @@ func (in *EVMInterpreter) Run(contract *Contract, input []byte, readOnly bool) (
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %v", ErrOutOfGas, err)
 			}
-			if !contract.UseGas(dynamicCost, in.evm.Config.Tracer, tracing.GasChangeIgnored) {
+			// for tracing: this gas consumption event is emitted below in the debug section.
+			if contract.Gas < dynamicCost {
 				return nil, ErrOutOfGas
+			} else {
+				contract.Gas -= dynamicCost
 			}
 
 			// Do tracing before memory expansion
diff --git a/core/vm/runtime/runtime_test.go b/core/vm/runtime/runtime_test.go
index 1aefc810bd..97234368ee 100644
--- a/core/vm/runtime/runtime_test.go
+++ b/core/vm/runtime/runtime_test.go
@@ -514,6 +514,17 @@ func BenchmarkSimpleLoop(b *testing.B) {
 		byte(vm.JUMP),
 	}
 
+	loopingCode2 := []byte{
+		byte(vm.JUMPDEST), //  [ count ]
+		// push args for the call
+		byte(vm.PUSH4), 1, 2, 3, 4,
+		byte(vm.PUSH5), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
+
+		byte(vm.POP), byte(vm.POP),
+		byte(vm.PUSH6), 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // jumpdestination
+		byte(vm.JUMP),
+	}
+
 	callRevertingContractWithInput := []byte{
 		byte(vm.JUMPDEST), //
 		// push args for the call
@@ -540,6 +551,7 @@ func BenchmarkSimpleLoop(b *testing.B) {
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, staticCallIdentity, "staticcall-identity-100M", "", b)
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, callIdentity, "call-identity-100M", "", b)
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, loopingCode, "loop-100M", "", b)
+	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, loopingCode2, "loop2-100M", "", b)
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, callInexistant, "call-nonexist-100M", "", b)
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, callEOA, "call-EOA-100M", "", b)
 	benchmarkNonModifyingCode(100000000, callRevertingContractWithInput, "call-reverting-100M", "", b)