diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/element.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/element.ts
index 31b96b5d007..31c3ee87279 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/element.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/element.ts
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ import {createDirectivesInstances, executeContentQueries, getOrCreateTNode, reso
 
 
 function elementStartFirstCreatePass(
-    index: number, tView: TView, lView: LView, native: RElement, name: string,
-    attrsIndex?: number|null, localRefsIndex?: number): TElementNode {
+    index: number, tView: TView, lView: LView, name: string, attrsIndex?: number|null,
+    localRefsIndex?: number): TElementNode {
   ngDevMode && assertFirstCreatePass(tView);
   ngDevMode && ngDevMode.firstCreatePass++;
 
@@ -35,11 +35,7 @@ function elementStartFirstCreatePass(
   const attrs = getConstant<TAttributes>(tViewConsts, attrsIndex);
   const tNode = getOrCreateTNode(tView, index, TNodeType.Element, name, attrs);
 
-  const hasDirectives =
-      resolveDirectives(tView, lView, tNode, getConstant<string[]>(tViewConsts, localRefsIndex));
-  if (ngDevMode) {
-    validateElementIsKnown(native, lView, tNode.value, tView.schemas, hasDirectives);
-  }
+  resolveDirectives(tView, lView, tNode, getConstant<string[]>(tViewConsts, localRefsIndex));
 
   if (tNode.attrs !== null) {
     computeStaticStyling(tNode, tNode.attrs, false);
@@ -85,11 +81,16 @@ export function ɵɵelementStart(
   ngDevMode && assertIndexInRange(lView, adjustedIndex);
 
   const renderer = lView[RENDERER];
-  const native = lView[adjustedIndex] = createElementNode(renderer, name, getNamespace());
   const tNode = tView.firstCreatePass ?
-      elementStartFirstCreatePass(
-          adjustedIndex, tView, lView, native, name, attrsIndex, localRefsIndex) :
+      elementStartFirstCreatePass(adjustedIndex, tView, lView, name, attrsIndex, localRefsIndex) :
       tView.data[adjustedIndex] as TElementNode;
+  const native = lView[adjustedIndex] = createElementNode(renderer, name, getNamespace());
+  const hasDirectives = isDirectiveHost(tNode);
+
+  if (ngDevMode && tView.firstCreatePass) {
+    validateElementIsKnown(native, lView, tNode.value, tView.schemas, hasDirectives);
+  }
+
   setCurrentTNode(tNode, true);
   setupStaticAttributes(renderer, native, tNode);
 
@@ -107,8 +108,7 @@ export function ɵɵelementStart(
   }
   increaseElementDepthCount();
 
-
-  if (isDirectiveHost(tNode)) {
+  if (hasDirectives) {
     createDirectivesInstances(tView, lView, tNode);
     executeContentQueries(tView, tNode, lView);
   }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
index 306188203a4..5dfca56d734 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions/shared.ts
@@ -986,12 +986,11 @@ export function setNgReflectProperties(
  */
 export function resolveDirectives(
     tView: TView, lView: LView, tNode: TElementNode|TContainerNode|TElementContainerNode,
-    localRefs: string[]|null): boolean {
+    localRefs: string[]|null): void {
   // Please make sure to have explicit type for `exportsMap`. Inferred type triggers bug in
   // tsickle.
   ngDevMode && assertFirstCreatePass(tView);
 
-  let hasDirectives = false;
   if (getBindingsEnabled()) {
     const exportsMap: ({[key: string]: number}|null) = localRefs === null ? null : {'': -1};
     const matchResult = findDirectiveDefMatches(tView, tNode);
@@ -1005,14 +1004,12 @@ export function resolveDirectives(
     }
 
     if (directiveDefs !== null) {
-      hasDirectives = true;
       initializeDirectives(tView, lView, tNode, directiveDefs, exportsMap, hostDirectiveDefs);
     }
     if (exportsMap) cacheMatchingLocalNames(tNode, localRefs, exportsMap);
   }
   // Merge the template attrs last so that they have the highest priority.
   tNode.mergedAttrs = mergeHostAttrs(tNode.mergedAttrs, tNode.attrs);
-  return hasDirectives;
 }
 
 /** Initializes the data structures necessary for a list of directives to be instantiated. */