diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 79056c6..5bd3b49 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -1111,9 +1111,12 @@
 		 * We already have cpus for evsel (via PMU sysfs) so
 		 * keep it, if there's no target cpu list defined.
 		 */
-		if (!evsel->cpus || evlist->has_user_cpus) {
+		if (!evsel->own_cpus || evlist->has_user_cpus) {
 			cpu_map__put(evsel->cpus);
 			evsel->cpus = cpu_map__get(evlist->cpus);
+		} else if (evsel->cpus != evsel->own_cpus) {
+			cpu_map__put(evsel->cpus);
+			evsel->cpus = cpu_map__get(evsel->own_cpus);
 		}
 
 		thread_map__put(evsel->threads);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index c53f791..5410483 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -1033,6 +1033,7 @@
 	perf_evsel__free_config_terms(evsel);
 	close_cgroup(evsel->cgrp);
 	cpu_map__put(evsel->cpus);
+	cpu_map__put(evsel->own_cpus);
 	thread_map__put(evsel->threads);
 	zfree(&evsel->group_name);
 	zfree(&evsel->name);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 298e6bb..ef8925f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@
 	struct cgroup_sel	*cgrp;
 	void			*handler;
 	struct cpu_map		*cpus;
+	struct cpu_map		*own_cpus;
 	struct thread_map	*threads;
 	unsigned int		sample_size;
 	int			id_pos;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index 7e8ae21..21ed6ee 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -287,8 +287,8 @@
 	if (!evsel)
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (cpus)
-		evsel->cpus = cpu_map__get(cpus);
+	evsel->cpus     = cpu_map__get(cpus);
+	evsel->own_cpus = cpu_map__get(cpus);
 
 	if (name)
 		evsel->name = strdup(name);