Some Arsenal fans had hired a plane

But is is the first time that two London sides - Arsenal and Chelsea - have contested the final.

And for Arsenal - who lost to Liverpool in last year's final - the match provided a two nil victory.

Supporters started to descend on the Welsh capital late on Friday - travelling by road, rail and even plane with Arsenal chartering a jumbo to transport more than 700 fans to Cardiff.

The stadium - built with Millennium funding to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup - is fast emerging as the leading venue for all major footballing competitions in the UK, following the demise of Wembley.

Building on last year's experience, elaborate efforts have been made by police to steer rival groups of fans off the M4 at separate locations.

However, with the Badminton Horse Trials taking place in the West Country and a music festival in Bristol, motoring organisations were warning of heavy congestion on the M4.

Some fans set off from London very early in the morning on Saturday to avoid the motorway queues, but still reported heavy congestion at service stations along the route.

South Wales Police said there had been no problems with fans coming into the city and the all supporters travelling by road had made it on time.

Fans used the designated car parks and apart from small delays going through Newport there had been no major problems on the motorways.

"With rail engineering work affecting London, Reading, Newbury, and parts of the West Country, many people will be seeking alternative transport for their bank holiday getaway," a spokesman for the AA said.

"People feel let down by the public transport network.

"People will have to wait and we will ask them to be patient, but we will get them home

Tim Buxton

"It's a shame that engineering work on the railway is happening the same time as major sporting leisure events along the M4 corridor."

The spokesman added that motorists should car share if possible and use park-and-ride systems if possible.

First Great Western have doubled their services from Paddington to Cardiff and they have been fully booked.

Alcohol has also been banned by the train company, which is also anticipating problems transporting fans back to London after the game, and has set up a special passenger control system.

"There will be 14 trains leaving Cardiff for London,2 said Tim Buxton of First Great Western.

"People will have to wait and we will ask them to be patient, but we will get them home."

In the capital itself businesses were asking regular weekend shoppers not to stay away although virtually all major city centre routes will be closed to traffic between 1300 BST and 1800BST.

The stadium has emerged as the prime venue for major competitions

Most hotels in the city have been fully booked for months and many bars have taken on extra staff to cope with the expected rush.

Some restaurants and caf�s in the city centre are also planning to open early to encourage as many people as possible to arrive early.

Police say they are confident they have full plans in place to deter any troublemakers and make sure the final passes off peacefully.

They expect none of the problems experienced when the local Cardiff City fans clash with visiting supporters last year.