Athletic Bilbao lost 2-1 away to Celta Vigo in the La Liga match on Wednesday night, with two goals in three minutes giving Celta three vital points as they struggle to avoid relegation.

The two goals came just minutes after Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde substituted Spain international goalkeeper Unai Simon for the club's second-choice keeper Julen Agirrezabala.

Agirrezabala has shown himself to be an excellent goalkeeper and played every game as Athletic won the Copa del Rey this season, making a key save in the penalty shoot-out against Mallorca as the Basque side ended a 40-year wait to win the trophy.

Simon's substitution was surprising given that he wasn't injured, but speaking after the game, coach Ernesto Valverde hinted he had made it to help Simon win the prestigious Zamora Trophy which is given every season to the goalkeeper with the best record in La Liga.

"Unai [Simon] is having a great season in La Liga, fighting for the Zamora and we won the Cup with Julen Agirrezabala. I don't think anyone will criticize us for using our two goalkeepers how we see fit. I made the change because I thought it was the best thing to do," justified Valverde.

The trophy calculates the goals-to-game ratio of the goalkeepers in La Liga, who have played a minimum of 60 minutes in 28 matches, with the Athletic goalkeeper currently averaging 0.94 goals conceded per game, compared with 1.03 by Real Sociedad's Alex Remiro, 1.04 by Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and 1.06 by Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili.

"We have got two great goalkeepers and either of them can play at any given moment, I don't have anything to say, I think it's a change just like any other," commented Valverde.

The last time an Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper won the Zamora award was in the 1969-70 season, when it was claimed by the club's legendary former Spain international Jose Angel Iribar. 

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