Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Deportivo the lead before the half-hour mark at La Rosaleda, only for Chupe to level from the penalty spot after Lucas Noubi's foul on Rafita, sending Málaga's return to the top flight to a share of the spoils on home soil.
Deportivo La Coruna head coach Antonio Hidalgo felt his side had arrived looking for all three points, even if he could take some satisfaction from the way his team responded.
"It touches him, a lot or a little, slight. Taking points away from home like at La Rosaleda, as things stand, makes me very happy — for us, it's about adding to the tally, but we came here for the three points," he said of the penalty award.
Hidalgo, who spent three seasons as a Málaga player, was visibly moved by his return to the ground.
"It's the first time I've picked up points as a coach at La Rosaleda. I spent three very special years here, and I wish them all the best. It's a team that is going to give people trouble — very well worked, prepared to fight against anyone."
He praised his side's overall competitiveness through a match that swung through several distinct phases.
"It speaks to the level of competitiveness this team has, of always being in matches. There were different phases during the game — we started well, especially in the situation after the first goal. Then we became a bit more unbalanced with the Juan Cruz situation," he said, adding that Deportivo "suffered a bit more" in the second half as the contest "became crazier" towards the end, describing it as fairly even overall.
"It's a point, and now we think about what's next," he concluded. "In defence and attack it's early to evaluate. It's true that without the ball there are a lot of players who master what we want. The difference came from that spark provided by the players who came on from the bench."
Málaga head coach Juan Francisco Funes admitted the draw "tastes of little" on his side's home debut in LaLiga EA Sports, but stressed the importance of picking up a point regardless.
"The point tastes of little, although we were able to grow with the goal, we finished the first half well and we were good, with personality," he said in his press conference at La Rosaleda.
Funes highlighted his side's ambition despite the setback.
"Despite not winning, we had the ambition to go for the game against a very well-worked team," he said, while acknowledging his side lacked "bite, being more vertical, and aggressive. Today we did a lot of things well, enough to win, but adding a point is important," he added, also praising the "spectacular atmosphere" and an "impressive" home crowd.
He struck an optimistic note about the weeks ahead.
"As matches go by and confidence grows, everyone will be sharper — our opponents and us too. With this momentum, results will come sooner rather than later," he said of his players.
On the possible penalty conceded by his own side against Joaquín Muñoz, Funes was diplomatic: "It's not a penalty because it wasn't given, but Le Normand would have liked this referee to have given it [in reference to the penalty incident against Villarreal]."
He also referenced the club's transfer priorities as the window nears its close: "We have to grow from our own identity," he said, adding that "until the last day we will try to ensure the squad has all the components that help us reach our final objective."