diff --git a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/compare.go b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/compare.go
index 3f64b4911..930b69473 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/compare.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/compare.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package ghostdagmanager
 
 import (
 	"github.com/kaspanet/kaspad/domain/consensus/model/externalapi"
+	"github.com/kaspanet/kaspad/domain/consensus/utils/hashes"
 )
 
 func (gm *ghostdagManager) findSelectedParent(parentHashes []*externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, error) {
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ func (gm *ghostdagManager) ChooseSelectedParent(blockHashA *externalapi.DomainHa
 	blockABlueScore := blockAGHOSTDAGData.BlueScore
 	blockBBlueScore := blockBGHOSTDAGData.BlueScore
 	if blockABlueScore == blockBBlueScore {
-		if hashesLess(blockHashA, blockHashB) {
+		if hashes.Less(blockHashA, blockHashB) {
 			return blockHashB, nil
 		}
 		return blockHashA, nil
@@ -55,16 +56,3 @@ func (gm *ghostdagManager) ChooseSelectedParent(blockHashA *externalapi.DomainHa
 	}
 	return blockHashA, nil
 }
-
-func hashesLess(a, b *externalapi.DomainHash) bool {
-	// We compare the hashes backwards because Hash is stored as a little endian byte array.
-	for i := len(a) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-		switch {
-		case a[i] < b[i]:
-			return true
-		case a[i] > b[i]:
-			return false
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
diff --git a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/ghostdag.go b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/ghostdag.go
index 70e175134..029f4d605 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/ghostdag.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/ghostdag.go
@@ -39,13 +39,17 @@ func (gm *ghostdagManager) GHOSTDAG(blockHash *externalapi.DomainHash) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	newBlockData.SelectedParent = selectedParent
-	mergeSet, err := gm.mergeSet(newBlockData.SelectedParent, blockParents)
+	newBlockData.MergeSetBlues = append(newBlockData.MergeSetBlues, selectedParent)
+	newBlockData.BluesAnticoneSizes[*selectedParent] = 0
+
+	mergeSetWithoutSelectedParent, err := gm.mergeSetWithoutSelectedParent(newBlockData.SelectedParent, blockParents)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	for _, blueCandidate := range mergeSet {
+	for _, blueCandidate := range mergeSetWithoutSelectedParent {
 		isBlue, candidateAnticoneSize, candidateBluesAnticoneSizes, err := gm.checkBlueCandidate(newBlockData, blueCandidate)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -101,7 +105,7 @@ func (gm *ghostdagManager) checkBlueCandidate(newBlockData *model.BlockGHOSTDAGD
 		isBlue, isRed, err := gm.checkBlueCandidateWithChainBlock(newBlockData, chainBlock, blueCandidate, candidateBluesAnticoneSizes,
 			&candidateAnticoneSize)
 		if err != nil {
-			return false, 0, nil, nil
+			return false, 0, nil, err
 		}
 
 		if isBlue {
@@ -154,7 +158,7 @@ func (gm *ghostdagManager) checkBlueCandidateWithChainBlock(newBlockData *model.
 		// Skip blocks that exist in the past of blueCandidate.
 		isAncestorOfBlueCandidate, err := gm.dagTopologyManager.IsAncestorOf(block, blueCandidate)
 		if err != nil {
-			return false, false, nil
+			return false, false, err
 		}
 
 		if isAncestorOfBlueCandidate {
diff --git a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/mergeset.go b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/mergeset.go
index b30f7287c..ead66812f 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/mergeset.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/processes/ghostdagmanager/mergeset.go
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 )
 
-func (gm *ghostdagManager) mergeSet(selecteParent *externalapi.DomainHash,
+func (gm *ghostdagManager) mergeSetWithoutSelectedParent(selecteParent *externalapi.DomainHash,
 	blockParents []*externalapi.DomainHash) ([]*externalapi.DomainHash, error) {
 
 	mergeSetMap := make(map[externalapi.DomainHash]struct{}, gm.k)